Haunted
by ADI2DE
Summary: AU – Andy is 16 when her life goes spiralling out of control and she's left running from the cops. But what happens when years later she becomes a cop and crosses paths with the dark-haired, brown-eyed man that had been chasing her years earlier? Will Andy's past come back to haunt her?
1. Witness to Murder

**Welcome to "Haunted", one of my AU Rookie Blue FanFiction stories. I'm currently in the process of writing and completing 20 Rookie Blue stories. This one is a little darker than most of the others (at times), so if it's not your thing, feel free to check back for my others! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, and the others as they come. Happy reading! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Please note: I do not own Rookie Blue. **

"Detective?"

Tommy McNally opened the door a little wider, frowning at the sight of Sam Swarek and Oliver Shaw. It wasn't often that cops showed up on someone's doorstep, and from Tommy's experience, it was usually to serve a death notification. With his daughter currently at home in her room, there wasn't anyone else they could be here for.

"Detective McNally, may we come in?" asked Oliver Shaw.

Tommy hesitated, then stepped aside. "What is this about?"

Sam could smell the whiskey in Tommy's breath. The man had been spiraling downward since his wife left him.

"We believe your daughter was a witness to a murder last night," said Sam, getting straight to the point. "We'd like to talk to her."

Tommy shook his head. "She was here with me."

Sam hesitated. "With all do respect sir, but was she in the same room with you all night?"

Tommy remained silent, struggling to make sense of the situation through his alcohol-induced haze.

"We'd just like to ask her a few questions," said Oliver gently.

"Andy!" Tommy yelled.

Silence.

"Andrea McNally!" he yelled again.

"Relax," said a voice. "I heard you the first time."

Sam watched as a sixteen-year-old girl walked around the corner and stepped into view. She was untangling the headphones of her iPod, but as soon as she looked up and saw that her dad wasn't alone she froze.

Sam watched as her mouth fell open slightly, before she immediately closed it and adopted a curious expression. He glanced at Oliver to find him frowning as well. Turning his eyes back to the girl, Sam studied her, but her body seemed relaxed and nothing showed in her face except for a mild curiosity. Still, in that brief moment when she'd first come into view and her defenses were down, Sam knew that Tommy McNally's daughter knew something.

"Uh, yeah, Dad, next time you invite someone in, at least warn me so I can put on some real clothes," she said.

Despite the situation, Sam found the corners of his mouth tug upward slightly, but he quickly bit back the smile. Tommy McNally's daughter was definitely pretty, and he was sure that any boy around her age would have been drooling at the sight of her in her form-fitting tank top and pyjama bottom short shorts. For a brief moment he wondered if the sight of them had startled her because of her attire, or if she actually knew something. His gut told him she knew something, but based on what had just come out of her mouth and the even tone she'd used, he could tell she was quick on her feet and that they were going to be hard-pressed to get anything out of her. Still, she was a cop's daughter and hopefully she'd have the same values as her father… at least the good ones.

"Get in here," growled Tommy.

Andy hesitated, then slowly approached them.

"Sit," said Tommy.

Andy sat down on the couch, frowning. "What's going on?" she asked. She drew her legs up onto the couch so they were crossed, then pulled a cushion across so it rested on her lap.

Sam and Oliver sat in the chairs opposite from her as Tommy hovered around them. "I'm Officer Shaw and this is Officer Swarek," said Oliver. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Oookay," said Andy slowly. "Umm, still not getting it though. What can I do for you?"

"Where were you last night, around 10 o'clock?" asked Sam, questioning again whether his initial judgment of her had been correct. She seemed far too calm to have witnessed a murder.

Andy turned to look at Officer Swarek, momentarily losing herself in his brown eyes. They looked so warm and inviting, despite the rest of his demeanour, and there was an abnormal depth to them that drew her in. She felt like she could look right into his soul. Was that even possible? She forced her eyes away and turned to look at the other officer as she said, "I was here, in my room."

"All night?" asked Sam, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," she replied. "I was listening to music and doing my homework."

"At 10 pm?" asked Sam.

"Uh yeah," said Andy. "Well, actually I worked up until about 9 and then was working on homework the rest of the night."

"Where do you work?" asked Oliver.

"Henry's," said Andy with a shrug. She didn't particularly like it there, but it was a job. "It's a diner just down the road from my school."

"And you finished at 9?"

She nodded.

"Did you come straight home?" asked Sam. He could sense she was hiding something and her refusal to look at him was starting to bother him.

"Yes."

Sam turned to look at Tommy. "What time did your daughter get home?"

Tommy shook his head. "I don't know."

"Was it shortly after nine, or was it sometime after ten?" Sam pressed.

"I… I don't know. She always comes home right away though," said Tommy.

Sam clenched his teeth slightly before turning back to the girl. "How did you get home? And when?"

"I walked," she lied. "And I really don't know how long it took. I don't usually walk, but it was a nice night out, and it was a slow shift so my co-workers left early. I usually get a ride home from one of them though."

"So you weren't around Dundas and Spadina last night?"

"Uh no, that wouldn't exactly be a direct route, and I already told you I went home after work to study..." she began. When Officer Swarek opened his mouth to speak again, she cut him off by adding, "Do you have any idea what it's like to have a dad who's a cop? It gives you a bad reputation at school. It's like…" She paused, trying to come up with an example. "It's like an automatic loser status. Everyone's either too scared to hang out with you or whatever, so I was at home reading Hamlet for school."

There was brief spell of silence.

"Since when do cops care about my job and school anyway?" asked Andy, turning to look up at her father then back at the cops.

"There was a murder last night and we were led to believe that you may have been a witness," said Oliver.

Andy's eyes widened. "What?" she said.

Sam studied her face, silently cursing. He was almost positive she was lying, but apparently having a cop for a father meant she'd picked up a few things from him as well, and one thing was clearly how to school her features and act.

"So you didn't see anything?" asked Oliver.

"What? No," said Andy, shaking her head. "What the hell would make you think I was a witness?"

Tommy McNally cleared his throat. "Language," he said.

Andy cast her father a quick glance, but paid little attention to him.

"Seriously though, I'm a cop's daughter, if I saw something I would have said so already." She frowned. "You might want to check your source again. It's probably one of my idiot friends trying to get me in shi—"

"Andy," her father warned again, cutting off the rest of her curse.

Andy rolled her eyes.

"Uh Detective, do you mind giving us a few minutes alone with your daughter?" asked Sam.

Tommy hesitated, then retreated upstairs.

Sam turned back to her. "So you do have friends?"

"Yeah," said Andy laughing. "I said I was a loser, not a loner."

"Care to be more specific?" asked Oliver.

"You want me to define a loser and a loner?" asked Andy, quirking an eyebrow.

Sam's eyes widened. She was really laying it on thick.

Andy noticed the look on his face and merely smiled, shaking her head. "Alright, fine. It's not like I have a shortage of friends or anything. We just don't really hangout outside of school or work – they're afraid of my dad, so I'm kind of the loser because he keeps me in a hole here."

"And your friends would verify that?" asked Sam, testing her.

Andy turned back to look at Officer Swarek. Despite the intensity of the situation, she was almost enjoying herself – she could tell he wasn't exactly sold on her story, and that he was really pushing her and trying to get her to screw up, but she liked the challenge. "Yeah, they would, but if you're asking if I always follow my dad's rules then I'm pretty sure you know the answer to that."

"Are you sure you came straight home last night, and were at home all night?" asked Sam. He hadn't expected her to admit what she just had, but he supposed she had to cover her trail in case they questioned her friends.

"Wow, you are persistent," said Andy, laughing. "Would you like me to tell you what Hamlet is about?"

Sam studied her for another moment. He had no doubt that she'd be able to tell him, but it didn't prove that she'd read it last night. When she didn't drop her gaze he put a picture on the coffee table and said, "Do you recognize this man?"

"No," said Andy. "Should I?"

Sam glanced at Oliver, but the man was being unusually quiet. "Ever heard any of your friends talk about a guy named Dimarco?"

Andy sat back for a moment, then said, "Nope."

"Boyfriend?" asked Sam.

"I told you I don't know the guy, I don't know if he swings that way," said Andy, meeting Sam's gaze with an even stare. She could tell he was getting a little irritated.

"Funny," said Sam, though he wasn't smiling. "I meant you. Do _you_ have a boyfriend?"

"That's a little personal, don't you think?" said Andy. "Are you going to ask about my failure of a mother too?"

Sam rubbed his face. His opinion hadn't changed, despite her doing well to cover her tracks. The only reason he could come up with that would make her want to hide the fact that she'd witnessed a crime was if it had been a friend or boyfriend who had committed it. He couldn't outright say that though, but he was hoping to get something out of her. "Well, I'm sure someone at your school would be more than happy to fill in the blanks," said Sam finally looking back at her. For a brief second he thought he saw fear in her eyes, but once again, she'd schooled her features and before he could fully understand what he saw, it was gone.

"Yeah, maybe, but I doubt it," said Andy.

Sam knew he was taking a risk, particularly given it was a detective's daughter, but not taking the risk could eventually prove more dangerous. "Well I'm sure not all of your friends are as good at lying as you are."

He felt Oliver nudge him, but he merely shrugged, keeping his eyes on Andy, clenching his teeth when she smiled at him.

"Bold, Officer Swarek," she said, still smiling. "It's a good thing you asked my dad to leave the room before making that accusation."

"What are you afraid of?" said Sam.

Andy raised her eyebrows, tapping her fingers against the armrest on the couch before finally saying, "Bugs." Smiling again she said, "They're just so disgusting the way they look and move. It creeps me out and I have nightmares about them all the time."

"I meant why are you afraid to tell us the truth?" said Sam.

"I thought I just did," said Andy, smirking.

Oliver finally put his hand on Sam's shoulder and said, "Let's go."

Sam turned to his partner. "You're telling me you actually believe her?"

"Buddy, I don't know what to believe anymore, but unless you have proof that she's lying then we're clearly not going to get anywhere," said Oliver.

Andy looked over at Oliver as he got up.

"Let us know if you hear anything… or whatever," said Oliver.

Andy nodded. "Sorry I couldn't help officers."

Feeling Officer Swarek's eyes on her, she turned to meet his gaze, until he finally looked away and followed his partner out the door.

Five minutes later Tommy came back downstairs. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" he asked, giving her a long look.

Andy shook her head. "I have no idea what that was about," she lied.

Tommy flopped back on the couch with his whiskey as Andy retreated to her room, the strength she'd had for the last half hour crumbling as she broke down, tears streaming down her cheeks.


	2. Facade

**Welcome to the second chapter! Feel free to leave your thoughts in a review and/or check out my other stories – I'd love to hear what you think so far. Thanks for reading! **

**Recap: Sam and Oliver show up at the McNally house after learning that Andy may have witnessed a murder. They try to question her, but Andy proves difficult. They end up leaving, despite sensing that she's lying.**

Andy didn't sleep well that night, which made it even harder to drag her butt out of bed the next morning. She'd managed to keep it together while the officers questioned her the night before, but she knew it was only a matter of time before someone came back. The thought terrified her. It wasn't that she didn't think she could weasel her way out of things again; it was that she was scared of what would happen if someone saw the cops at her house. Either way, she was in a lot of trouble, but if the wrong people caught wind of the cops sniffing around, she wasn't so sure she could handle that.

Glancing at her alarm clock once more, she forced herself to get up, picking up her pace as she rushed through her morning routine and scrambled to get out the door before her father woke up.

Unfortunately, her efforts were wasted as her father emerged from his room and stood leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. She barely withheld a groan. "How did you sleep?" Tommy asked, eyeing her cautiously.

"Okay," she replied, reaching for her toast.

He noted the dark circles under her eyes. "You look tired."

Andy shrugged. "Had a really stupid nightmare," she lied, as she spread peanut butter on her nearly burnt breakfast.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Like I said, it was really stupid. Didn't even make sense. Just freaked me out, you know? Not even worth talking about."

"And what about last night?" Tommy pressed. "Do you want to talk about why my rookie and his partner showed up on our doorstep?"

Andy stared at her dad for a moment. "I told you, I don't know what that was about."

"And if you did, would you tell me?" Tommy asked.

She hesitated a fraction of a second, then nodded. "Yeah… yeah of course," she said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and grabbing her toast before heading for the front door.

"Okay," Tommy reluctantly said, watching his daughter carefully until she was out of sight. When the door closed behind her, he turned and got ready before making his way to the station.

* * *

"Shaw, Swarek, my office," Tommy said as the officers were filing out of the parade room.

Sam and Oliver exchanged nervous glances as they followed Tommy into his office, fully expecting to be chewed out for questioning his daughter the night before.

They sat down and waited in silence as Tommy scribbled something on a piece of paper. He eyed them carefully, then slid the note across to them. "I need you to go to this address. Be there by three."

"What do we do there?" Oliver asked, frowning.

Tommy hesitated. "Find my daughter and question her."

Sam and Oliver exchanged glances again, both of them struggling to keep their jaws from dropping.

"You want us to question your daughter again?" Oliver asked, confused.

Tommy sighed. "My daughter doesn't lie to me, and half the time she's running out the door late for something." He hesitated. "She was intentionally trying to avoid me this morning, and she outright lied to my face."

"So you think she's hiding something about the murder?" Sam asked slowly.

"I don't know," Tommy admitted. "But it looks like she didn't sleep last night, and with how she was acting this morning, I don't know what else to think." He paused, rubbing his face. "I just don't get it. _If_ she knows something, I don't understand why she'd lie about it to you _and_ to me."

"And you think she's more likely to tell us something?" Oliver asked.

The detective leaned back in his chair, studying both officers for a long moment before saying, "Things with Andy have been a little rocky since her mom left. It's been years, but it hasn't been the same since. If I question her anymore, or she knows I'm behind this…" Tommy paused. "Look, I need you to do this… I can't risk losing her completely."

Sam nodded. "We'll be there at three."

Tommy smiled slightly and nodded.

* * *

Andy let out a sigh of relief when the bell rang to signify the end of the school day. She slammed her textbook shut, scooped up her binder and left the classroom in a hurry, ignoring her teacher's questioning look. Between being overwhelmed with thoughts and limited to the confines of a classroom, she'd felt stifled all day and couldn't wait to step outside into the fresh air.

The second her locker was open, she shoved her books inside and grabbed her bag, hesitating as she tried to decide whether or not she'd be able to focus enough on schoolwork to make bringing her books home worthwhile. As her thoughts shot back to the night of the incident, everything around her seemingly faded away.

"Is that your boyfriend?"

Andy jumped, whirling around to find Officer Swarek standing behind her.

"Uhhh, what?" she asked, blinking hard.

"The guy in the picture," Sam said, snagging the photo off her locker door. "Is that your boyfriend?"

Andy snatched the picture from him and shoved it in her backpack. "Nope."

"Oh yeah? So who is he then?" Sam pressed.

Her eyes flicked up and down the hallway. She shrugged. "Just someone I know."

"Must have made quite the impression to make it onto your locker door."

Again she shrugged. "Maybe I just thought it was a good picture."

"Alright, can I see your phone then?" He held out his hand, palm facing up.

"Why?"

Sam shook his head. "Do you _really_ want to do this?"

Andy stared at him. "Do what, talk? No, I don't, but thanks for asking."

He quirked an eyebrow. "The more you cooperate now, the easier it's going to be for you down the road."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I have to go," she said, turning back to her locker, and abandoning all thoughts of books as she slammed it shut.

"I'll walk with you," Sam said.

Her step faltered.

He could see her visibly tense. "Something wrong?"

She continued to stare straight ahead, her mind racing. No matter what, she couldn't let him follow her out of the school.

"Uh, no," she lied, though she hadn't resumed walking.

Sam moved so he was standing directly in front of her, watching as she scrambled to find an escape. "Are you trying to protect someone?"

Andy bit down on her lower lip. This was a disaster. Her phone buzzing moments later only made things worse. She glanced at the screen, then closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. She had to ditch him, and she had to do it fast.

"Are you trying to protect the guy in the picture?" Sam pressed.

She took a deep breath as she opened her eyes and raised them to meet his. "Look, I told you I wasn't there and I don't know anything, so what's your problem?"

"Someone from this school saw you there. They didn't see the murder, but they arrived in time to see you leaving."

Andy shook her head, "They're lying."

"So are you," Sam accused.

"Did my dad put you up to this?" she asked.

"No."

"Look who's lying now," Andy said, quirking an eyebrow.

Her phone buzzed for a second time. Upon reading the text, her face paled. A curse escaped her.

Before Sam could question her again, she moved around him and headed for the doors at the front of the school. Once there, however, she stopped, her eyes scanning the sidewalk and parking lot outside. She spotted the cop car before shifting her gaze to a red car in the parking lot where her boyfriend and his brother sat waiting. Normally she was happy to see her boyfriend, but today she just wanted to be as far away from everyone as possible.

"Aren't you going to go out?" Sam asked.

"Not with you."

He frowned. "Is someone watching you?" he asked quietly.

Her eyes flicked in his direction before returning to the glass panel in the door. He took that as a yes.

"We can protect you."

"No, you can't," Andy replied, her voice barely audible, but he caught the words and the fear behind them.

"It's our job. We can, and we will," Sam assured her.

She snapped. "You want to protect me? Stop showing up at my house and school. Just drop this… And don't follow me when I step out that door."

As she reached to push the door open, he held his arm out, barring her way. "Come with me," Sam said, almost pleading. "Whatever's going on, we'll figure it out, okay?"

Andy looked up at him, a crack forming in her façade – as much as she wanted out of this whole situation, she wanted to go with him. Something about him made her trust him. She believed he would try to protect her, but how could he when she didn't even know what she was really up against?

He held his hand out to her, watching as her eyes travelled down to it before looking up at his face again. She hesitantly reached out, but a noise down the hallway made her jump, her barriers slamming back up and her hand falling simultaneously.

"I can't," she breathed, fear etched in her words.

Before he could stop her, she was out the door. He hesitated, slamming his fist against the wall as he watched her walk away. Pulling out his cell phone, he called Oliver. "Let her walk," Sam said. "Stay in the car, but watch her. See if you can see where she's going, but be subtle, she's being watched."

"Then why'd you let her walk?"

Sam ran a hand over his face. "Just trust me on this one. You didn't see her face."

He'd originally intended on following her for as long as he could, but something in her reaction was setting alarms off in his head. What he'd really wanted to do was shove her in the back of the squad car and make her talk, but they really didn't have anything on her to be able to arrest her, and without her consent, there really wasn't much they could do at the moment. His abrupt appearance had clearly startled her, but until she walked out the door, she'd been pretty guarded. In that moment though, she seemed terrified. The thought that whoever murdered the guy on Saturday night could be somewhere nearby had his eyes scanning the area. Again, he felt the urge to go after her, to protect her, but his gut told him to stay back. If he couldn't take her away, the least he could do was not draw any more attention to her. After all, if she already felt like she was in danger, he didn't want to put a bigger target on her back – he really hoped he hadn't done just that.

**Thanks for reading! Up next, a traumatizing situation forces Andy to make a difficult decision that could change the rest of her life in a drastic way. **


	3. Victimized

**Welcome back! Once again, thanks for your reviews and follows – I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think. I know some of you really want Andy to confide in Sam, and for him to help her out of whatever mess she's gotten herself into… I would LOVE for that to happen, but unfortunately before things can start to get better, they're going to get drastically worse. Hang in there though, I'm sure it will all work out in the end! Maybe? I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out!**

**_*WARNING: This chapter contains a rape scene. Details are minimal, but it's up to you if you want to read that particular section. I'll put the scene in italics so that those wishing to skip over it know where it starts and ends. _**

**Recap: Tommy asks Sam and Oliver to go to Andy's school and question her. While Sam isn't able to get much from her, he does sense that Andy's terrified and is caught up in more than she can handle. He offers his assistance and protection, but Andy takes off.**

She made it two blocks before she sensed she was being followed. Heart pounding heavily in her chest, she turned her head to take a quick glance over her shoulder. Catching a glimpse of movement on her other side, she tried to turn to defend herself but a hand immediately covered her mouth, stifling her scream, while an arm wrapped around her middle, dragging her backwards onto the street. She struggled, using every defense technique that came to mind, but she was off balance, and her mind and body just wouldn't cooperate. The grip tightened and she found herself being roughly thrown into the back of a car.

"What the hell are you doing?" J.J asked. "I told you she's not gonna squeal."

"Tie her up," Jimmy said, ignoring his little brother.

"Come on bro, she's cool, okay?" J.J tried.

"Her dad's a cop," Jimmy reminded him. "And Brady said there were a couple of cops at her place last night. If she hasn't snitched already, she's going to. Now tie her up or I knock her off right here."

Andy's scream was muffled as a gag was stuffed in her mouth. The appearance of Jimmy's gun sent her into panic mode and she fought harder.

"Baby, cool it, I've got this okay?" J.J said, binding her wrists together. Andy whimpered, tears running down her face as she tried to stop him. It was useless. They outweighed her and within a minute her wrists were tied together, as well as her ankles. That done, J.J turned back to face the front of the car as his brother got in the driver's seat and drove them to the house.

* * *

**WARNING: Rape scene… If you want to skip it, scroll down until you don't see italics. **

_"J.J, you have to get me out of here," Andy said when he pulled the gag out of her mouth and tipped the bottle of water so she could drink some. _

_"Baby, you just have to relax. I'll deal with my brother." _

_"J.J, he killed a guy," Andy said. "Your brother killed a guy. If he thinks I'm going to talk, he's going to kill me too. You heard him in the car. You have to get me out of here."_

_"Just let him calm down, okay?" J.J said. _

_"Listen to me," Andy said. "He's not going to let me go. I didn't say anything, but he's not going to risk it."_

_"I won't let him kill you," J.J said. _

_"You really think you can stand up to him if he's pointing a gun at me?" Andy said, tears rolling down her face. _

_"Baby, he's not gonna do that, he just wants to make sure you're gonna keep quiet."_

_"Yeah, and how the hell do you think he's going to do that?" Andy cried._

_The door opened and Jimmy and Brady walked in. _

_"What did you say to the cops?" Jimmy said. _

_"I didn't say anything," Andy said. "I lied. I told them I was at home studying."_

_"Just lied to them, eh?" Jimmy said. "J.J says you're a terrible liar."_

_"Yeah well you made it pretty clear that if I told anyone you'd kill my dad, so I guess I had extra motivation," she said angrily. _

_"But what happens when they come back for you? What happens when they threaten you?" Jimmy said. "You're gonna squeal."_

_"No, I'm not," Andy said, panicking. "I haven't told them anything, and I'm not going to. You have to believe me. I swear I won't say anything."_

_Jimmy shook his head. "That's the thing, I don't… J.J says you don't even get along with your dad anymore, so I'm not so sure you have the motivation you need to keep you quiet, and if I'm sure, then I'm gonna have to put a bullet in your head."_

_Andy looked to J.J for help, but her boyfriend was staring at the floor. "I'll do anything," Andy pleaded. "I swear I'll do anything you ask."_

_"I would have offed you already if my brother didn't like you so much," Jimmy said. A smirk slowly formed on his face. "Alright though, we do this my way. You do exactly what I say from now on. You stray once and you're dead."_

_Andy nodded._

"But you're not getting off this time," Jimmy said. "I'm gonna make sure you know your place."

_"J.J," Andy said, panic in her voice as Jimmy approached her. _

_"You scream, and I shoot you," Jimmy warned. "You keep quiet and I let you walk, and you consider this your warning and motivation, but if I hear anything about the cops coming around again, I'll off you and your dad."_

_"No, please," Andy cried, trying to shift back on the bed as he approached her. _

_"Hold her," Jimmy said and Brady moved to comply. As he pulled Andy's pants down, he turned to J.J. "I said, hold her."_

_Andy's eyes widened in horror as J.J moved up to her other side and pinned her down, one hand moving to put the gag back in her mouth and clamp his hand over it to keep her quiet. Tears streamed down her face as her body shook. She clamped her eyes shut, struggling to free herself, but knowing her efforts were futile…_

_It was a long while after Jimmy moved away that she finally opened her eyes. The worst was over, or so she thought._

_"Your turn," Jimmy said, turning to J.J. When his little brother didn't move, he pulled out his gun. "If she rats me out, it's gonna fall on you too. Fear is a major motivator little bro. You do this; you motivate her to keep her quiet. You do this or I—"_

_"I've got this," J.J said, his face hardening. _

_Andy began to whimper, barely noticing the pain as Brady hit her hard in the face to silence her. She struggled some more, but the more she moved, the more she was hit. Nothing she did could prevent the onslaught of pain in knowing that her boyfriend had turned on her, and was now going to hurt her in ways she never thought possible. For the second time, she clamped her eyes shut, the tears spilling down her face as the hopelessness and sickness sunk in._

* * *

J.J untied the rope binding her wrists, and ankles, together, allowing her to grab her things and head to the bathroom to compose herself. She immediately pulled her clothes back on, then stood leaning against the bathroom counter, head turned downward as she fought off the wave of nausea. She had to get out of here. She pushed the window open and pulled herself up and out, sprinting down the street the second her feet hit the ground.

By the time she got back home, it was nearing ten o'clock. It had taken her just over half an hour to get there, even though her pace had never slowed to anything below a jog. She was exhausted both mentally and physically, and she felt ill. Her entire world had been turned upside down and she had no idea how to deal with everything. Her hand touched the cool metal of the doorknob, but she hesitated, taking a deep breath before slowly opening the door. Her dad was passed out on the couch; a sight that had been unwelcome most nights was suddenly one she was thankful for. Making her way to her room as quietly as she could, she dropped her things on the floor, closing the door softly before collapsing on the bed, sobbing until exhaustion took over and she was pulled into another night of restless sleep.

When her alarm went off the next morning, the reality of last night sunk in again and she broke down. It was only when she heard her dad's alarm go off twenty minutes later that she finally dragged herself into the shower in an attempt to wash away the sickening feeling, but no matter how hard she scrubbed she still felt dirty. No matter how much it hurt, she couldn't scrub away the pain of last night. Had the water not turned cold, she probably would have stayed in there for another hour just trying to rid herself of everything, but it forced her out and back into her room where she locked the door and collapsed on her bed once more, absolutely zero thoughts for going to school. After all, it had been hard enough after witnessing the murder, but right now, she couldn't even keep herself together.

Luckily her dad was running late and likely assumed she'd already left for school so she remained undisturbed in bed for hours after he left the house. She let her eyes wander around her room as she struggled to come to terms with everything and find some sort of solution. When it came, it broke her heart. She couldn't stay. Her father was safer if she left. With that in mind, she started moving around her room, collecting articles of clothing and a few personal items, which she stuffed in her backpack. That done, she pulled out a notebook and spent the next few hours forcing herself to retell everything, starting from the time she got off work. If Jimmy snapped and came after her, at least her notebook would have her story – a story she couldn't tell anyone now, not when everything was still so fresh and not when her father was still at risk. After all, she really didn't know how many contacts Jimmy had. Snapping the book shut, she stuffed it in her backpack, then set the bag on the floor beside her bed.

Her first thought was to leave right then and there, but the guilt set in and she knew she needed to see her father one last time. She just had to pull herself together enough to do that.

It was an hour after her father returned home that she heard him calling her name. Andy hesitated. She knew what she had to do, but she wasn't sure she was ready to let go or that she even could. Knowing that if she didn't go out now she might not get a chance to later, she took a deep breath and opened her door. She could always sneak out when he was passed out on the couch but if he passed out too soon, she wouldn't get to say goodbye.

Pulling her hair down so it covered part of her face, she stepped out into the living room.

"Andy, sit down sweetie, we need to talk to you," Tommy said gently, reaching for his daughter.

She immediately recoiled, stepping back as he moved to take her arm.

Tommy pulled his hand back. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

She caught sight of Sam and Oliver in her living room. "They can't be here," Andy said, panicking.

"Andy, we know you were at the scene of the murder. Security footage from a nearby building caught you on tape," he said, misunderstanding his daughter's tone and behaviour.

"Make them leave," Andy pleaded, finally looking up at her father. As she did so, her hair fell back and she heard Sam curse. Her head snapped in Sam's direction and she met his eyes for a brief moment before she shook her head slightly. She could tell he was blaming himself for letting her walk away, but it wasn't his fault.

"Who did this to you?" Tommy demanded, taking in her scuffed up cheek and slightly swollen lip.

That wasn't what had Sam's attention though – it looked bad, but what had him feeling sick was the look in her eyes. There was a hollowness there, and it was clear she'd been crying.

Tommy moved toward her again, but she screamed, "Stay away from me," before running back to her room, slamming the door shut and locking it.

The sound of footsteps grew louder. She was out of time. With shaking hands she grabbed her backpack, opened the window and pushed the screen out. Her eyes snapped back to the doorknob as it rattled. Her heart beat faster. It was now or never. Wasting no more time, she clambered through the open window just as the door came crashing down.

Glancing back, she could see Officer Swarek and her father enter her room. Fighting back more tears, she bolted towards the fence, ignoring her father as he called her name.

Using the tree stump for a boost, she pulled herself up and over the fence. Officer Swarek was already out the window and heading in her direction. Cursing, she pushed herself over the other side and tore through the neighbour's lawn, crossing the street and passing through the yards on the other side. Another quick glance over her shoulder told her Sam was catching up.

Turning left down the next street she made the snap decision to abandon backyards. Jumping fences with a backpack on was going to wear her out too quickly and if she had any hope of getting away, it wasn't going to be jumping fences, not when it was clear the officer had experience jumping them. Whether she could outrun him or not was another question, but she had to take her chances.

As she sprinted down the street she could faintly hear Officer Swarek on his radio, though she couldn't make out the words – as soon as she reached the first busy street, however, his radio was drowned out completely. Taking a quick look both ways, she darted across the street, dodging the cars without slowing. With her eyes cast over her shoulder, she didn't see the squad car pulling up to block the road until it was too late to slow or maneuver around it. She rolled over the hood, groaning as she hit the pavement. A curse escaped her as she shakily got to her feet, taking a steadying breath as she attempted to regain her balance. Hearing the car door open sent her into complete panic mode, sending her sprinting across the street and narrowly missing an oncoming car. It wasn't until she reached the other side that she paused and glanced back. Officer Swarek slid over the hood of the squad car, and met her eyes as he waited for a gap in traffic to pursue her.

She took a few deep breaths before crossing the next street and running down the nearest alley. Aside from traffic and the sound of her own shoes slapping against the pavement, there was nothing. No sound of a radio, no sound of yelling, no approaching footsteps. She cleared the alley and raced towards the stairs for the subway, glancing behind her in time to see Officer Swarek just exiting the alley.

Seeing the doors for the subway closing, she launched herself through them, exhaling deeply as she turned to find Officer Swarek standing a few metres away on the platform, his eyes trained on her and his fists clenched at his sides.

**Thanks for reading!  
So, things can only get better from here on in, right? Probably not what you expected, but good things come to those who wait ;).  
Who thinks Sam and Oliver will catch her? Does anyone think Andy will actually leave?**


	4. Chasing Time

**Welcome back, and thanks for reading! As always, I appreciate all of your awesome reviews and follows, so please keep it up! Last chapter was rough, and dealing with the aftermath is definitely going to prove challenging for Andy, so we'll see that play out over the course of the story. **

**Note: With the characters sharing the same timeframe but different locations, I ended up alternating between them to try to keep each part of the story aligned. As a result, I labeled each section, so hopefully it isn't too confusing for you guys. It's very rare for me to do this in any of my stories, but the odd time it might be required. **

**Recap: Sam and Oliver try to question Andy about a murder she is said to have witnessed, but she denies having seen anything. When Sam questions her at her school, he realizes she's being watched and backs off so that he doesn't put an even bigger target on her back. In an effort to instill fear in her and silence her, Andy is raped by her boyfriend and his brother. When Sam and Oliver show up on her doorstep again, she takes off and just barely manages to get away on the subway.**

Sam/Oliver

Sam cursed as the subway pulled away, his chest rising and falling heavily as he tried to catch his breath. He'd been so close to catching her.

"Dispatch, this is 1505, I need the route and schedule for the subway, heading southbound from the Bloor-Yonge Station. It left a few seconds ago."

There was a pause for a moment. "1505, the next stop is scheduled for Bay Station in approximately one minute… St. George, Spadina, and Bathurst are next."

Sam raced up the stairs, his eyes scanning the street for a brief second before they landed on the squad car parked by the curb. Getting in, he pressed his radio again. "1505, requesting back-up along the southbound subway route. We have a sixteen-year-old female, 5'8", about 110 or 115lbs, Caucasian, long dark brown hair, red sweater, blue jeans – she's on the run. She's a witness to the Dimarco murder and we have reason to believe she is in danger."

"Copy, requesting available back-up to southbound subway stations starting at Bay," said dispatch.

"1507, we're on our way to Spadina."

"1509, we're on our way to St. George."

"1505, we'll take Bay," Sam said. They wouldn't make it in time to intercept her on the subway, but if she got off there, then perhaps they could still track her down even with the slight lead she'd have on them. If they couldn't find her, he could only hope that the other officers made it to their designated stations in time to cut her off.

* * *

Andy

Andy sat for a moment, staring up at the board above the door that listed the scheduled stops. Now that the cops were certain she'd been a witness, she suspected they'd be waiting for her at the next stop, if they could get there in time. She couldn't risk staying on the subway longer though. With her dad being a cop, and herself being a witness, it was unlikely that they'd just let her go. She took off her red sweater and adopted a black one, then threw her hair up into a messy bun. She'd rather have her hair down so it would partially cover her face, but if they were waiting for her, they might be looking for her as they last saw her, especially with the crowds of people coming and going. The changes weren't huge, but they could potentially buy her a few extra seconds or minutes. She repacked her backpack and leaned back, her hands clasped nervously in her lap as she counted down the seconds until the next stop.

When at last they were slowing, she put on her sunglasses and threw her backpack over her shoulders, casting wary glances at those around her and those on the other side of the door. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her way through the crowd, struggling to hold it together as she came in contact with those around her.

As she made her way towards the stairs leading up to the street, she glanced around again, sighing with relief when there weren't any cops in sight. Still, she quickened her pace, knowing that if the cops were pursuing her, they likely wouldn't be far behind. The sight of a Greyhound bus had her picking up her speed.

"Where is this bus heading?" she asked as she stepped up into it.

"Hamilton," the driver replied.

"I don't have a ticket," she began. "But I want to go all the way... Is there space?"

The driver hesitated, then nodded, so she pulled out her wallet and handed him the money before taking a seat towards the back of the bus. As it pulled away from the curb she saw the flashing lights of an approaching cop car. Sinking down in her seat, she turned her face away from the window and settled for the long drive ahead, no longer able to keep the tears from streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

Sam/Oliver

By the time they got to Bay Station, the subway had already left – they'd tried to call the TTC to have them stop the subway, but were faced with a new and rather incompetent employee who was unable to get the authorization required to make the call. Cursing, Sam found security and asked them to play back their footage from the last ten minutes, all the while listening to his radio for any sign that the other officers saw her.

It took a little while, but once they got the video going, they were glued to the screen. When they had watched the entire ten minutes of video, Sam frowned. "Go back again."

Oliver looked over at his partner. "Buddy, she may not have even gotten off here."

Sam shook his head. "Maybe, maybe not, but if she did and we missed her, then that's on us."

Oliver nodded to the security guard. "Okay, you're right, we'll watch it again."

Sam frowned. "What if she isn't wearing her red sweater anymore? She might know that in our rush it's the first thing we'd look for, the first thing that would stand out…"

Oliver hesitated. He'd been looking for the same thing. If she was still wearing it, it would be the quickest way to spot her amidst the blacks and blues that most of the people seemed to be wearing. "She did have her backpack," he said slowly. Had they really missed her?

Sam nodded. "Exactly. I didn't take her for a runner in the first place; she seemed too smart to risk it…" He paused. "But, if she's familiar with the subway, she likely knew that if she got off here then she'd beat us and likely get away… And that changing to blend in could buy her some time."

Oliver nodded. "And if Tommy's told her anything about policing…" He let the thought hang. If Tommy had shared his knowledge about policing with his daughter then she might very well be able to cover her tracks. Maybe it was a lot to expect from a teen, but she'd weaseled her way out of everything so far.

"Let's just hope she's too panicked and screws up enough for us to find her," Sam said. Another thought struck him. "Get Tommy to text you a picture of her," Sam said, then turning to security, he added, "Is there someone on the subway who can walk through and look for her? All we need is confirmation as to whether or not she's on there. But we need it done now."

The security guard nodded.

When the picture came through, Oliver text it to the number that Security gave him. They were partway through watching the footage for the second time when Oliver received another text.

"She's not on there," Oliver confirmed. "So she either got off here, St. George, or Spadina. I doubt she would have gotten any further."

Sam nodded, his eyes still fixed to the video. "Stop."

The guard paused the video and Sam pointed. "Sunglasses, black sweater, ponytail. I think that's her."

Oliver squinted for a moment, then nodded. "Call it in."

Sam hesitated. "Dispatch, this is 1505, security footage shows our witness leaving Bay Station on foot. We'll contact the local cab companies and city bus. Can we get a unit to patrol the area? We'll send the responding unit her picture."

"Copy 1505," dispatch said. "Requesting 1509 for back-up to Bay Station."

"1509, copy," said a voice on the radio.

As they checked the streets and nearby shops, they contacted Toronto's cab and bus companies, but hours later they were still coming up short.

* * *

Andy

Despite paying for the full trip, Andy got off the bus in Burlington. As a cop's daughter and a witness, she didn't want to risk staying on the bus the entire way in case someone figured out she was on it and alerted Hamilton authorities. As it was, she was lucky to make it this far.

Stepping off the bus, she felt a large weight on her shoulders as she took in the unfamiliar scenery. She knew nothing about Burlington. She had no one – she was completely alone. As she looked around she wondered if she'd always be filled with this uncertainty, loneliness, and sense of unfamiliarity. Even fear. Taking a shaky breath, she forced herself to move forward. At this point it really didn't matter where she went, as long as she kept moving. After a few blocks, she pulled out her wallet. "Twenty dollars," she muttered. "Great."

Her eyes scanned the nearby stores that lined the street, finally landing on a convenience store. She wandered the store for a few minutes before grabbing a bottle of water, chocolate bar, and map. "Where's the nearest bank, and train station?" Andy asked quietly when she reached the front counter.

She handed over some money as the man gave her directions. When his hand grazed hers, she flinched, sucking in a sharp breath simultaneously.

"You okay?" the man asked.

Andy nodded, grabbed her things and dashed out the door, leaning against the cool brick as she struggled to steady her breathing. She eyed a group of people passing by, ignoring the weird looks they were giving her. When she'd finally composed herself enough, she headed towards the nearest bank.

"How can I help you?" the man behind the counter asked.

She unconsciously crossed her arms protectively in front of her. "How… how much can I withdraw at once?"

The man quirked an eyebrow, studying her for a moment before finally responding.

"I'll umm take it all," Andy said.

When the man continued to stare at her, she said, "My dad's really nosy and I want to buy him this really cool collector's baseball card. If I charge it on my card he'll know, so this is the only way it will be a surprise."

The man hesitated, then nodded, accepting her bank card and counting out the money in front of her. The sound of the door opening had Andy glancing behind her, tensing at the sight of a cop. Heartbeat quickening, she struggled to keep her head pointed towards the counter, instead using the glass covering one of the paintings on the wall to monitor him. He hadn't looked in her direction yet, so she didn't want to overreact if he wasn't even there for her. When his eyes landed on her, she held her breath.

"You're lucky you didn't come in any later, we're closing in a few minutes."

Andy absentmindedly nodded.

"Here you go," the teller said a little impatiently.

Realizing he was holding an envelope out to her and likely had been for quite some time, she took it, forced a smile and muttered her thanks before trying to calmly and inconspicuously walk towards the exit.

Andy exhaled deeply upon stepping back out into the fresh air, no sign of the cop following her. She wondered if this was what criminals felt like, always having to look over their shoulder, probably living in fear. That's when it hit her: in a way, she was impeding an investigation, a murder investigation no less, so was she really any better than a kid who stole? Panic surged through her again. How was she supposed to survive on her own? What happened when her money ran out? Could she even get a job? What about school? Living arrangements? Would she have a panic attack every time a guy touched her?

Her fears took an abrupt turn when she realized the sky was rapidly growing darker. She had to find a place to lie low for the night, or find a late night train out of the city. Either way, she wanted off of the streets.

* * *

Sam/Oliver

Leaning against the squad car, Sam stared out into the distance. As a Greyhound bus pulled up in front of them, he swore, frantically pulling out his phone and searching for the company's number. Several minutes later, he disconnected the call, fuming.

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked.

Sam held up his hand and called his friend, Detective Jerry Barber. "Jerry, I need you to run Andy McNally's credit cards. See if she withdrew any money or paid for anything today." When he hung up several minutes later he turned to Oliver.

"She took the Greyhound to Hamilton, or at least she paid for the ticket to Hamilton," Sam said. "She got off in Burlington and withdrew some money there… a lot of it, and there hasn't been any activity since." Kicking a large stone that was on the street, he said, "She could be anywhere by now."

"Sammy, there was nothing we could do," Oliver said.

"Yeah, Oliver, there was," Sam said. "I should have shoved her in the back of the squad car when we were at the school."

"Buddy, you listened to your gut," Oliver said. "How often have your instincts led you astray?"

Sam didn't look convinced.

"Don't question it now," Oliver said sharply.

"Ollie, _she_ witnessed the murder, and if nobody steps forward and admits to seeing it too, then all we have are a bunch of people who arrived in time to see her leaving, and only one who can actually identify her by name. Without her, someone's getting away with murder."

"I know buddy, but you need to look at the bigger picture now. Tommy's daughter is gone. The most we can do at the moment is head back to the barn, notify Burlington police and surrounding areas, and have them keep an eye out for her. We'll see if we can track her phone and credit cards and, as long as Tommy approves, we can even have her picture posted on news channels within a few hours. I know you want to find her now, but even if we somehow got approval to go, it's unlikely that we'd actually be able to find her."

Sam kicked at another stone.

"Sooner or later she's going to have to withdraw money, and when she does, we'll know where she is," Oliver said, trying to give his friend a reassuring smile.

Sam nodded, but he still couldn't shake the memory of the look in her eyes. He'd seen that look before, and although he couldn't be sure it meant the same thing, it didn't stop the memories of his sister's attack from invading his thoughts. He was just thankful he'd been around to help his sister through it, but with Andy, he had no idea if she had anyone. "Does she have any family or friends out that way?"

Oliver shook his head. "The only family she has left is her dad, and I think all of her friends are in Toronto."

Sam nodded slowly, biting back a sigh as he rubbed his forehead. "We need to contact her school and dad, find out who her friends are and if they have any idea where she might go."

Oliver hesitated, then nodded. There was nothing wrong with Sam's suggestion – it seemed like the next logical step – but he was worried Sam might let his guilt consume him and drive him overboard. Still, he conceded, deciding he'd figure out how to handle things later. "We won't be able to reach anyone from the school until first thing tomorrow morning, so we might as well head back to the barn and notify the Burlington authorities and surrounding divisions."

* * *

Andy

Forcing her feet to carry her away from the bank, she headed for the train station, getting lost once along the way, but otherwise without incident. She stared at the board with train schedules for several minutes, her mind racing. She wanted to go somewhere away from Toronto, but it also had to be soon. She couldn't afford to sit around and wait for hours, or worse, until the next morning, not when she had no idea what was going on back in Toronto.

Hesitantly approaching the counter, she purchased two tickets leaving from her current station, and then two more connecting tickets for each of those, each ticket heading in a different direction. The woman behind the counter gave her an odd look and questioned her about it.

"I haven't decided where to go yet, so I'm keeping my options open and am going to get on whatever train feels right in that moment," Andy lied, withholding a sigh when the woman merely nodded and printed off the tickets.

It was a hefty cost, and all paid using cash, but she knew her father wouldn't give up on searching for her and if she really was the only witness for the murder, then they might have alerts set up for her cell phone and credit card. At least the tickets might create some misdirection, and even if they checked the train tickets at the end of the day for her name, she intended to pass off her other ticket to someone getting on the other train – the train she planned on taking was half an hour after that. As for the remaining tickets, she didn't plan on using any of them, but the cops might not know that she hadn't – her ticket could have easily been misplaced… And, even if the cameras at the train stations were working, she intended to change again before arriving at the first destination, so she figured she could probably make it through the crowds unnoticed, not to mention it would still be dark out so visibility would be poor. She'd already walked around this particular station and noted that there weren't any outside cameras, so she didn't have to worry about being caught on video boarding a train. From where she stood now, it looked like she might make a clean getaway. She tried to push the thought aside, not wanting to get too ahead of herself – even if she could get away, how long would it be until she slipped up and the cops would be on her heels?

Collapsing on the bench, she pulled her knees up to her chest, hearing a loud clunk as her phone fell from her pocket. She hesitantly reached out and flipped it open, seeing several messages and texts come up on her screen. Her fingers hovered over the keys before gathering the courage to listen to some of the messages. Within minutes she was slamming it shut, pulling out the SIM card and battery before tossing both the battery and phone into the garbage. Retreating back to the bench, her head fell into her hands and she broke down in tears, her entire body trembling as fear and uncertainty overwhelmed her.

**Thanks again for reading! I hope you'll let me know what you think. Up next… well, a lot happens, most of which I can't reveal without giving too much away. So, I'll tell you the name of the next chapter: "Finding Her Way Back". Aside from that, you'll find out where Andy decided to go and if she actually makes a clean getaway, and Andy will meet someone (x2 actually) who will change her life forever and ultimately bring her close(r) to Sam in very different ways. Hope to see you around for chapter 5!**


	5. Finding Her Way Back

**Welcome back, and thanks for reading! I have to say, I'm blushing like crazy here. A.K.A I'm completely blown away with all of the support and feedback I've received so far for this story. You guys are absolutely amazing, so thank you so much for coming along for the ride and sharing your thoughts! I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think. In return for your support, and because I'm a little delayed in getting this up, here's a much longer chapter than what I usually post. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Before we find out if anyone was right about where Andy is heading and if she'll make a clean getaway, I just have a quick note and then the recap… **

**Note: This chapter has a major time jump (about 6 years) partway through, plus some smaller ones. Explaining all of what happens in those years now would be rather tedious for everyone (in my opinion), so skimming over parts of it now and then using other parts later for drama seems like the better option. Anyway, I just thought I'd mention it now in case anyone gets to the end of this chapter and is wondering what happened during that time. So, just know that the most significant parts will be covered later.**

**Recap: ****Sam and Oliver try to question Andy about a murder she is said to have witnessed, but she denies having seen anything. When Sam questions her at her school, he realizes she's being watched and backs off so that he doesn't put an even bigger target on her back. In an effort to instill fear in her and silence her, Andy is raped by her boyfriend and his brother. When Sam and Oliver show up on her doorstep again, she takes off and just barely manages to get away on the subway. She then transfers to a bus and makes it all the way to Burlington, where she's forced to cover her tracks as she decides where to go from there.**

Andy

_Later that night…_

She could feel the jerking of the train as it slammed on its breaks, slowly coming to a stop in front of the station. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to rise, her entire body trembling as she made her way to the exit. Her eyes flicked from one side of the tracks to the other, but there was no sign of cops. With a sigh of relief, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and stepped onto the concrete platform.

Even with the train station lights, she couldn't see very far in any direction. The sun had long since set, and with clouds covering the moon, there was very little light. Her eyes flicked to the train station sign, wondering if she'd perhaps heard incorrectly and gotten off at the wrong stop. It looked like she was in the middle of nowhere. _St. Catharines._ Nope, this was where she'd randomly chosen. Sighing, she returned her gaze to her surroundings. Faint outlines of houses could just barely be seen to the right, but in all other directions there were only trees. Panic rose within her once more. She'd heard of St. Catharines, but she didn't know the first thing about it, and the fact that it was dark out and she had no real destination in mind sent chills down her back. She really was alone.

The screeching of tires had her head snapping up, her eyes landing on a city bus. "You can do this Andy," she whispered to herself. "You've got this." She pulled out some change and stepped up onto the bus, taking a seat at the very back where she remained for the next hour and a half before hesitantly getting off. As she scanned the streets, her eyes landed on a large 24-hour pharmacy. Again, she had to take a few deep breaths and steel herself for going inside. All she wanted was to curl up somewhere away from everyone, but she knew she wouldn't be able to drag herself to the store the next day, so she forced herself to go now.

She wandered the aisles, periodically grabbing personal items and food, and dumping them into her basket, all the while keeping her head down. When she reached the hair care aisle, she hesitated, then grabbed a couple of boxes of hair dye and a pair of scissors before heading to the makeup aisle. The transformation wouldn't be drastic, but it might help. Within ten minutes, she was back on the sidewalk, a bag clutched in each hand.

Having spotted a motel a little ways back, she turned to the left and forced her feet to carry her, struggling to remain alert despite the exhaustion that was slowly consuming her. By the time she stepped into her room, she was wiped. The bags fell from her hands, the backpack slid from her shoulders, and she collapsed on the bed, staring at the peeling wallpaper for nearly an hour before she could muster the strength to reach for motel phone. Still, she hesitated, her fingers hovering over the numbers. She couldn't bring herself to push them. Setting the receiver down again, she let the tears overwhelm her until exhaustion took over again and pulled her into a deep but troubled sleep.

* * *

Andy

_The next morning…_

The sun shining through the crack in the curtains pulled her from her sleep, dragging her back to reality as she was filled with an emptiness that made her eyes well up with unshed tears. Forcing them away, she rolled over onto her back. "This is my life now," she whispered to the ceiling. She lay there another moment before getting to her feet and rummaging through the bags. After pulling the hair dye and scissors from her shopping bag, she retreated to the bathroom, still questioning her choice of colour. She'd been conflicted, but ultimately decided that blond and red would attract more attention and black might give off a rebellious vibe that might put her under the watchful eye of any cops she might pass by. As a result, she decided on a light brown – it was several shades lighter than what she currently had and there was nothing special about it. It just blended in, which was exactly what she wanted. After soaking her hair, she brushed it, then reached for the scissors, grabbing a chunk of hair in one hand while the other hand was frozen midair, scissors clasped tightly in her fingers. She'd never cut her hair before – she liked it as it was, but it had to change. _Everything_ had to change. Squeezing the scissors together, she watched as a solid five inches of hair fell to the floor before grabbing another chunk and cutting it off too. Her vision became blurry as tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over. By the time she'd evened out the entire length, she collapsed to the floor, resting her arms and head on the edge of the bathtub as she sobbed until her eyes stung and no more tears would come. She lay there for hours, unmoving.

A slamming door caused her to jump. Even though she knew it was several doors down, she cast a wary glance around, forcing her eyes to take in the mess around her. Her fingers scraped across the cheap linoleum floor as they clutched at the strands of hair that lay scattered there. Grabbing a fistful, she held it tight, attempting to swallow the lump in her throat as she held her hand over the garbage can. A single handful represented several years of her life. Slowly spreading her fingers, she let some of the strands fall through, wondering how her father would manage without her. He would never understand why she left, why she hadn't turned to him for help. But she couldn't. Tilting her hand to the side she let the rest of the hair fall. "There's no turning back," she whispered, pushing herself to her feet. She soaked her hair again, then proceeded to dye it light brown.

The rest of the day was spent lying in bed, aimlessly flipping through channels and napping. It wasn't until the next day that she started to pull herself together. After checking her hair in the mirror and applying some makeup to make herself look both presentable and different from her usual self, she changed and headed out in search of a thrift store. She'd packed some clothes, but it would only last her a few days, and once winter came, she'd need some warmer clothes as well. Without a whole lot of money though, she needed something cheap. It took her a couple hours of hunting, but she eventually returned to the motel with a few new items, figuring it was enough to get her by for now.

The next two days were spent in the motel, mentally preparing herself to go back out into the world. If she really planned on making it on her own, she needed a job. Regardless of what happened, and how it still affected her, if she didn't get a job, she was as good as dead. As luck had it, she managed to obtain a position at a privately own grocery store just three days later. After learning they were willing to pay her in cash, she accepted the job and moved out of the hotel and into a women's shelter. In exchange for a prolonged stay, she volunteered there for a few hours each day. And while the job at the grocery store wasn't exactly ideal – given how many people the store attracted – her contact with men was minimal and with so many people around, she felt a little safer.

* * *

Sam/Oliver/Jerry

"Hey Sammy," a male voice called out.

Sam froze in the doorway to the parade room and turned back to see his friend Jerry racing down the hall towards him.

"We contacted transportation services in Burlington an hour ago to see if she may have left the area. Turns out, an Andy McNally purchased some train tickets."

"Tickets? As in more than one?" Sam asked, frowning. "Where to?"

"That's the thing, it goes all over. There's Burlington to London, and Burlington to Niagara Falls—"

"But we can tell which one she took, right? They collect the tickets."

Jerry sighed. "Normally yes, except both trains collected tickets with Andy McNally's name on them, and the station she left from only has footage from inside the station... Nothing outside, so we don't know which one, if any, she actually got on. So, unless we track down _every_ single person on both trains and find out if they saw her, then there isn't much we can do. _And_ neither destination has outdoor footage so we can't even look at that and see if she got off at either stop."

Sam's frown deepened. Why couldn't they be chasing an idiot? "Alright, well, I'm assuming you've notified police from both areas?"

Jerry nodded, but grimaced.

"Spit it out."

"Well, she also purchased four more tickets. One from Niagara Falls to Port Colborne, one from Niagara Falls to Port Dover, another from London to Chatham-Kent, and the last from London to Owen Sound. We can't find any signs that she got on any of them though, so she may not have even left one of the other stations, _but_ if her ticket happened to be lost, she could be anywhere by now."

"Or maybe, she didn't even take the first train the entire way, like she did with the bus," Sam said, crossing his arms. The girl could be anywhere.

Jerry hesitated. "She hasn't used her credit cards or withdrawn money since Burlington, and we can't track her phone. My guess is she scrapped it." He paused. "And I'm trying to get footage from the Burlington station to see if we can identify anyone that may have talked to her, and see if we can find her that way, but that could take a few days, maybe even a week."

Sam rubbed his face. "Alright, Oliver and I are going to swing by her school, question her friends, classmates, anyone who might know where she's headed or what happened."

Jerry nodded.

Within twenty minutes Oliver and Sam were at Andy's school, waiting in the principal's office for certain students to be called down. They spent hours talking to kids, but nobody seemed to have any idea where she may have gone. The only thing they all seemed to agree on was that if Andy had left Toronto, then she wouldn't likely come back, which meant she was completely alone.

As they rose from their chairs to leave, a thought occurred to Sam. "Do you have yearbooks?"

The principal nodded.

He scratched his head, trying to think back to the picture he saw in Andy's locker. The guy had looked maybe a few years older than Andy. "We need to see every book for the last six or seven years… more if you have them."

The principal nodded and grabbed some books off the shelf.

"What are you looking for?" Oliver asked, as Sam flipped a book open.

"There was a picture. She wouldn't tell me who the kid was, but maybe she was trying to protect him. And if she was, then maybe he knows where she went or why."

Oliver nodded.

They spent hours looking through the books, until Sam finally stopped on one page. Blond hair, blue eyes, strong jawline. He pulled out his phone. "Jerry, I need an address for J.J Perkins."

As they waited for the address, Sam looked over at the principal. "Remember this kid?"

The principal nodded. "Yeah. Graduated a few years ago, but he comes around here every once in awhile—"

"To see Andy?"

"I… I don't know," the principal said. "He's never around for long… And he was always an okay kid, so I've never really been concerned about him coming by. His older brother though, that's one rotten egg."

"What's the brother's name?" Sam pressed.

"Jimmy Perkins."

Sam scribbled it down, then turned to Oliver. "Let's go."

"You really think this J.J guy and his brother are involved?" asked Oliver as they left the school.

"Maybe," Sam said, glancing around the parking lot before climbing in the car. "I think she was trying to protect someone – probably her boyfriend – and if what the principal said is true about the brother, maybe she was also threatened. Could explain why she took off."

Oliver nodded. "Neither one has a criminal record though."

"Not yet," Sam replied, glancing at his friend.

* * *

Sam/Oliver/J.J/Jimmy

"Who is it?" Jimmy asked.

"Cops," J.J said, panicking.

"Don't answer it."

"They already saw me looking through the window," J.J said.

Jimmy slapped his brother upside the back of the head. "Idiot," he growled.

"What do I do? Man, you've gotta help me."

"Don't tell them anything. You don't know why they're here, so don't give them anything to go off of, got it? Pretend like you don't know why they're here."

"What if they ask about Andy?"

"Tell them you haven't seen her in a few days... Just tell them whatever they need to hear to get them to leave. But whatever you do, don't say too much."

The knocking got louder.

J.J swallowed hard, watching as his brother went into the backroom. He cracked the door open.

Sam pushed against it, opening it further so they could see inside. "Are you J.J Perkins?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have a minute?" Sam asked.

"I'm kind of busy," J.J replied.

"Too bad," Sam said, shoving the kid back into the room. He could see Oliver's warning look, but he didn't particularly care at this point. He pulled a picture out of his pocket and showed it to the kid. "Who is she?"

J.J stared at the photo of Andy, but remained silent.

"She your girlfriend? You were in a picture in her locker," Sam said. "Must have been pretty close."

"If you already know who she is, then why are you asking me?"

"When was the last time you saw her?" Oliver said.

"A few days ago," J.J replied.

"Where?" Sam asked.

"Here. She came here."

"What time?" Sam pressed.

"I don't know man," J.J said. "It was kind of late."

"Yeah? And was your brother here too? Did you guys rough her up a little?" Sam ignored Oliver's warning look again.

"No, we didn't touch her. She was already upset because you guys wouldn't leave her alone."

"And what did she tell you about that?"

"Nothing. She didn't say anything," J.J said, shrugging. "She was upset, but didn't wanna talk about it."

"Your girlfriend is missing and if you don't start telling us what you know about her and what happened, we might never find her."

"She's missing?" J.J asked, eyes wide.

Sam frowned. "You didn't know?" It was obvious the kid was hiding something, but the reaction to this piece of news was genuine.

J.J shook his head. "She hasn't been answering her phone, but I didn't think… How do you know? Are you sure?"

Sam hesitated. "She's on the run; left the city. Seems like whatever she knew, she wasn't willing to tell."

Ten minutes later, Sam and Oliver were reluctantly leaving. J.J closed the door and headed straight for the backroom. "What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything," Jimmy said. "But as far as I'm concerned, if she took off, then that's one less problem for us."

* * *

Sam/Oliver

_Two months later…_

"1504, we have a call coming in for you," dispatch said.

"Transfer it through to Swarek."

Sam took the call, hanging up a few minutes later, a frown forming on his face. "Andy McNally just requested a transcript from her high school."

"She's moving on," Oliver said, eyes wide.

"They're not mailing it though," Sam said slowly. "They said she's going to pick it up. Said they'll call us and try to stall her when she does."

_Three days later..._

"Buddy, she's at the bank on the corner of Dundas and Spadina," Jerry said into his phone. "The alert just came up."

Sam turned the car around, flipped on the sirens, and headed to the location. They were about two minutes out when he received a call from the school.

"It's gone."

"What's gone?" Sam asked.

"The transcript. She didn't come though, but it's gone."

Sam groaned. "Did anyone else come near it?"

There was a long pause. "I had a student in here half an hour ago."

"And did you leave the room?"

"Just for a minute," the principal replied.

Sam rubbed his face. "What's the kid's name?"

"Emma Gleeson."

He hung up the phone and relayed the information to Oliver.

"You think she was actually at the bank too, or got someone to go for her?"

Sam shook his head. "I have no idea anymore buddy. All I know is that right now we have a sixteen year old outsmarting us."

* * *

Andy

Andy sat and waited for nearly an hour before Emma showed up. "Any problems?"

Emma shook her head.

"Good," Andy said with a quick nod. She took the sealed envelope containing her transcript and handed over some money in exchange.

"They haven't stopped looking for you," Emma said. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Andy replied, shoving the transcript in her backpack.

"Then why did you run?"

Andy looked up at Emma. "The less you know, the better."

"But you're okay, right?"

Andy hesitated, then nodded. "Trying." Before Emma could speak again, Andy added, "Listen, I've gotta go. I appreciate this though." With that, she took off. If the police really hadn't stopped looking for her, then the longer she stayed in the city, the greater the risk of being caught. As she rode the subway, her eyes landed on a newspaper with a headline that read: "Female body found washed up in High Park". She reached over and picked up the paper, unfolding it and gasping as a photo of one of her classmates loomed before her eyes. She scanned the article for details, but very little was said – it sounded like the police had no suspects, no sense of the motive, and really, nothing but the victim's identity. Lisa Rogers. It was the girl Andy suspected had ratted her out as a witness. And now she was dead. Worse still, foul play was suspected.

* * *

Andy

_Six years later…_

"McNally?"

Andy stopped on the lecture hall stairs and turned back to her instructor, James Benson. "Sir?"

The man gestured for her to come forward.

She hesitated, wondering if he'd recognized her name. Why else would he be calling her forward? He hadn't done it with anyone else. Taking a deep breath, she approached him. She'd managed to avoid being caught for six years, in which time a lot had happened. She wasn't prepared to be caught, not yet, not after everything she'd done to try to get her life back on track. Her mind went back to the last six years.

Having arrived in St. Catharines partway through the fall term, Andy had waited a couple of months before looking into high schools. Even after she'd gotten her transcript, she held off a little longer, eventually deciding to enroll in a Catholic school. She wasn't religious and had only ever gone to public school, so it was unlikely the police would search for her name in the Catholic school board. She'd been right, and as a result, she'd managed to set herself up for classes for the winter term, making up for her fall classes during the summer. By the time she'd completed high school, she'd already been accepted into university, where she studied Criminology on an accelerated schedule, graduating in three years rather than the usual four. At the same time, she'd also managed to get her driver's license, taking her tests in a city a few hours away and having the license mailed to Burlington, where she withdrew the last of her money before picking up her license and heading back to St. Catharines.

It had all been complicated. Not a day went by when she didn't worry she'd screw up and they'd find her, but so far, she'd been in luck. Even Emma Gleeson seemed to be able to keep her mouth shut. Now, as she stood within the local police academy on her first day of class, she wondered if her luck had run out. Sure, it was risky pursuing a police career since it increased the chances of her name being flagged, but she'd always dreamed of being a cop, and she didn't want to give that part of her life up too, even if her past complicated things.

"Everything okay?"

Andy nodded, stopping a couple metres away from him.

He frowned, studying her. "Nothing you want to share?"

She looked up at him. Did he know she was a runaway witness? Where else would the question have come from? It was a long moment before she shook her head.

"Are you by any chance related to Tommy McNally?" James asked slowly.

Andy hesitated, then shook her head again.

"I see," James said, still frowning. "Nevermind then."

She struggled to keep a normal pace as she left the room, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. What if he continued to question it? What if he looked her up? What if she was caught?

* * *

Andy

_A few weeks later…_

"McNally!"

Andy whirled around to face the speaker. "Yes sir?" she said, trying not to noticeably put extra space between them when the man stopped a couple feet in front of her.

"Is something wrong?"

Andy looked up at the academy instructor, and forced herself to shake her head. Did he have to keep asking her that?

He crossed his arms and studied her. "Good, then go train with Chris Diaz."

Her eyes shot to the floor and she pressed her lips together, gently biting down on them as she struggled to compose herself. She could already feel her heart rate quicken, and it was only a matter of time before her breathing started coming in short, unsteady breaths. When he took another step towards her, she unconsciously jerked backwards. "I… uh…" she began, falling silent when her mind blanked. How could she possibly explain that?

"Take five, get some air, and when you come back in you'll be with Traci Nash," James said.

Andy looked up at him, frowning as she searched his face, but he was already turning away and instructing other students. He had to know. She watched him for another moment, then did as he said and sure enough, when she came back Traci Nash was waiting for her.

* * *

Andy

_A few days later…_

When Andy arrived for her next physical training class, the regular instructor wasn't there. Instead, there was another man who was pairing them up. When Andy was paired with a guy, she tried to switch without making it too noticeable, but the instructor was already barking orders at them. When they were all lined up with their assigned partners, Andy slowly stepped away, backing up towards the exit. As she turned to flee, the main doors opened and she came face to face with James.

He met her eyes for a moment before scanning the rest of the room, his eyes landing on what he presumed to be her male partner. "Get back in line," James said.

Andy shook her head. "I can't," she replied, her voice shaking.

"You want to be a cop?" James asked. "You get back in line."

She struggled to keep the tears at bay.

James gave a subtle shake of his head, causing her to frown. He lowered his voice. "I know it's not easy, but you're going to have to trust me on this."

She still hadn't moved. What on earth was he talking about?

He looked over her shoulder. "Dov Epstein," James called out. "Switch with McNally."

Andy glanced over her shoulder to see who Dov was paired with and barely held back a sigh when she realized it was a girl, Alyssa something or other. When she looked back at her instructor, she stiffened. He was watching her closely.

"Better?" James asked quietly.

Andy swallowed hard and stared at the ground as she nodded.

"Good, then get back out there and train," James said. He lowered his voice again so nobody would overhear. "You're stronger than you think Andy, and one of these days, you won't let it cripple you."

Before she could even think of a response, James had moved passed her. She watched as he swapped one other pair, before heading back to the line to where Alyssa was standing, all the while wondering if it was a good or bad thing that her instructor seemed to have caught onto her problem.

* * *

Andy

_One week later…_

It was the end of class and she was reaching to grab her bag when she heard her name being called. She took a deep breath, then turned to find James slowly walking towards her.

"Yes sir?" she said quietly as she turned to face him, surprised to discover there was a woman standing beside him, one that she didn't recognize.

"This is Sarah Dean, a friend of mine," James said.

Andy looked from James to Sarah, confused. Why was her instructor introducing her to his friend? She shifted uncomfortably upon feeling the woman's eyes on her, studying her carefully. "It's uh, nice to meet you," Andy said, silently cursing when it came out sounding more like a question.

The woman smiled warmly, though Andy suspected she was also trying to hold back a laugh. "It's nice to meet you too Andy," Sarah said.

Andy looked back to James, questioningly. How and why did the woman know her name?

James gave her a small smile. "I think you might benefit from hearing what Sarah has to say," he said, not bothering to elaborate beyond that.

She stood there silently until the woman asked, "Join me for a cup of coffee?"

Again, Andy turned to look at James, but he was already walking away. "Uh, sure," she said after a long moment. She didn't particularly want to, but she couldn't think of a good enough excuse to get her out of it.

That's how she found herself seated at a table in a nearby coffee shop just ten minutes later.

"How do you like the academy?" Sarah asked once they were seated.

"It's good," Andy replied a little hesitantly.

"It was one of the most challenging times in my life," Sarah said with a sad smile. "The work itself was a challenge, but it was more than that. It was more personal for me."

Andy remained silent.

"When I was in my early teens, I was attacked by a group of boys," Sarah continued, trying to gauge Andy's reaction.

Her eyes widened at the admission, but she quickly schooled her features. Was that why James wanted them to meet, because Sarah had been attacked and he suspected she had been too?

"I went to counseling, therapy, the whole nine yards to try to forget it and move on," Sarah said. "I tried everything. My brother tried everything… I locked myself away for years, just trying to avoid people. I couldn't go out in public without shying away from them, without panicking, and jumping at every noise and every movement. By the time I went to the academy, I still wasn't entirely comfortable in public, but my instructor recognized that and he found me additional help. He was patient with me and I came to trust him, so much so that I even married him years later." She paused. "He ended up passing away, killed in the line of duty, but we have a son and I cherish him and the life I have everyday."

Andy continued to stare at the woman in silence. It wasn't until they were leaving that she spoke, but even then, it was a simple goodbye.

* * *

Andy

Sarah continued to show up at the academy at least twice a week towards the end of class. Each time, she invited Andy out for coffee and Andy, who struggled to find an excuse not to go, kept finding herself agreeing. This continued for a couple of months before Andy finally broke her silence.

She stared down at her cup of coffee as she spoke. "I left home when I was sixteen."

Sarah looked up from her own cup of coffee, but said nothing. Instead, she smiled encouragingly, waiting to see if Andy would continue.

"There was a lot going on that I didn't know how to deal with," Andy said quietly. "And then one night on my way home from school, my boyfriend and his brother came up behind me, shoved me in a car, and took me back to their place." She swallowed hard. "Their friend was there too, and… His brother was so mad. He lost it." She bit her lip. "I wanted out. I wanted to get away, but my own boyfriend wouldn't help me. He kept telling me everything was going to be okay. That he'd protect me. But it wasn't, and he didn't. He even held me down while his own brother…"

When the tears started rolling down her cheeks, Sarah slowly reached forward and held Andy's hands, squeezing them gently.

Andy forced a small smile. "They threatened me and my dad, so I left to protect him… I just got on the first bus I saw, took it to Burlington, then hopped on the first train and got off here." She paused. "I tried to change my appearance, took a job in a grocery store, finished high school, went to university, and now this…" She made a random hand gesture.

Sarah smiled. "You've done well to pick yourself back up."

Andy shook her head. "I left my dad, haven't spoken to him since I was sixteen. I don't even know if he's okay." She wiped away a stray tear. "And aside from going to school or work, I really haven't done anything. The most I've been out in public since coming here has been with you."

"It takes time," Sarah said gently. It was a long moment before she asked, "Where are you staying?"

Andy hesitated.

"You do have a place to stay, right?" She had to. How else could she have made it this far?

Again, Andy hesitated. "The first little while I was here, I stayed in a motel. Got pretty expensive though, so I moved to a women's shelter." She laughed dryly. "I mean, I already had to forge my dad's signature to get into high school – I would have had to do worse to get my own place, and with school being so expensive, I really couldn't afford it." She shrugged. "But I help out at the shelter, so they let me stay for free."

Sarah smiled sadly. "Are you still working?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah, I'm still at the grocery store."

Sarah hesitated, then changed the topic. "Are things improving at the academy?"

Andy shrugged. "I guess so."

"Do you have any friends?"

Andy nodded. "Traci."

"Any guys?"

Andy shook her head and shrugged. "Traci is friends with a couple of the guys in our class and they seem okay… I guess."

"Try talking to them," Sarah suggested.

Andy hesitated, then nodded. The thought scared her, but Traci trusted Chris and Dov, and neither guy had given her any reason to be wary of them. And, Sarah seemed to think it was a good idea, and Andy had come to value her friendship with the woman.

* * *

Andy

_1 week later…_

Andy froze at the sight of the little boy accompanying Sarah. Her breathing immediately became more laboured.

James, who had been standing nearby, stepped in front of her and blocked her view of the little boy. "Breathe Andy," he said quietly.

She closed her eyes and struggled to compose herself.

He watched her closely, eyebrows raised. She'd slowly warmed up to him, but he still hadn't expected her to actually close her eyes and trust that he'd make sure nobody touched her.

When she finally opened her eyes, she looked up at him, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

He smiled. "I can ask her to take him away if you want?"

Andy hesitated.

"He's a good kid, raised well," James said.

She looked around him for a brief second before turning back to her instructor. "Can we maybe stay here this time?" she asked shyly.

James nodded. "Sure." When Andy still hadn't moved, he said, "Are you ready?"

Andy took a deep breath and nodded. When James started to walk away, she tentatively reached out and grabbed his arm.

He froze and slowly turned to face her, not wanting to startle her. "Are you okay?" he asked gently, his eyes flicking from her hand on his arm to her face.

She took in a sharp breath before dropping her hand and nodding. As her eyes turned to the floor, she felt her cheeks heat up even more. "Could you maybe… could you stay for a bit?"

He stared at her for a long moment. "You think that will help?"

Andy nodded.

"Okay," he said, giving her a small smile.

By the time they all left the academy that evening, Andy had visibly relaxed. As a result, Sarah continued to bring her son along and after a week of doing this and seeing Andy's behaviour shift, she proposed that Andy come stay with her.

Andy politely refused, but Sarah continued to bring it up, and eventually persuaded her to move in. It was only at this point that things really started to click. She was in Sarah's living room, admiring all of the small touches that went into making the house seem so homely. Her fingertips were grazing the bookshelf when they froze beside a picture frame. Panic momentarily consumed her as she realized just how small her world had become in a matter of seconds.

"That's my brother," Sarah said, smiling when she saw Andy looking at the picture.

"I didn't know you had a brother," Andy said, trying to keep a neutral tone.

"Younger," Sarah replied with a nod.

"Umm, so…" Andy paused. "Could you maybe let me know anytime you have visitors? Guy visitors, including family members." She hesitated. "I don't want to cause problems, but it might just be easier if I make myself scarce, you know, stay with Traci when they come. Something like that."

Sarah smiled. "Yeah, I can do that… I don't usually have visitors, but I'll give you a heads-up."

"Thanks," Andy said, waiting for Sarah to return to the kitchen before she looked back at the picture, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.

Of all the places she could have gone, and all the people she could have met and moved in with, she found herself in the home of the sister of the very man she'd spent six years trying to avoid. She remembered the dark hair and brown eyes as if it was yesterday. "It's a small world Officer Swarek," she whispered. "Unfortunately for you, I'm good at hiding."

**Thanks again for reading! I'm not a big fan of glossing over huge periods of time like that because I find the explanations to be rather tedious, but hopefully you made it through the chapter alright and will join me for the next one. Speaking of which, up next: what happens when Sam and Andy come face to face after all of these years? **


	6. Lost and Found

**Welcome back! Thank you guys so much for your awesome reviews, follows, and favourites! You guys are absolutely amazing. I really appreciate all of the support you've shown so far, and I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think. **

**To answer a couple of questions: (and please don't hesitate to ask if there's something you want to know)**

**If you're wondering what happened to Jimmy, J.J, and Brady, well, this chapter briefly addresses the current state of one of those characters. However, we haven't seen the last of them. They'll be mentioned again pretty soon, but won't actually reappear until later on in the story.**

**As for the academy instructor, James, we'll definitely be seeing more of him, though not likely again for another 3-5 chapters (maybe?). I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that James has a really important role in Andy's life, and is kind of a key player in how the story progresses. Basically, he's the kind of character whose presence is limited, but his impact is huge. You'll have to read on to see what his exact role is, but he's bound to be contentious. Regardless, I'm curious to see how you guys react to him (and to the whole McSwarek storyline, particularly given how Ch.3 went…). Should be interesting.**

**Recap: ****Sam and Oliver try to question Andy about a murder she is said to have witnessed, but she denies having seen anything. When Sam questions her at her school, he realizes she's being watched and backs off so that he doesn't put an even bigger target on her back. In an effort to instill fear in her and silence her, Andy is raped by her boyfriend and his brother. When Sam and Oliver show up on her doorstep again, she takes off and just barely manages to get away on the subway. She then transfers to a bus and makes it all the way to Burlington, where she's forced to cover her tracks as she decides where to go from there. Andy ends up in St. Catharines, changes her appearance, gets a job, and manages to complete high school and university. She even goes to the academy. While there, her instructor introduces her to Sarah Dean, who is able to share her own story of being attacked as a teen. Andy ends up moving in with Sarah and quickly realizes that Sarah is Sam's sister.**

_A few days after Andy graduates from the academy… _

"What the hell are you doing here?" said Sarah.

"That's a bit of a harsh way to say hello," said Sam, eyebrows raised. His sister was very rarely this abrasive. In fact, she usually complained that he didn't visit often enough, which was why he was so caught off guard by her reaction to him standing on her porch.

"I told you to call before coming," Sarah hissed. "It's not just Cooper and I here anymore."

Sam frowned. "I just don't get it Sarah. She's never here when I'm around anyway."

"Yeah, because she purposely steers clear when she knows you're coming, stupid," said Sarah. "And, in case you're wondering, she's here now, which means _you_ shouldn't be."

"Why?" he asked. Sarah had never really explained why the woman had such an aversion to visitors, and although he'd always followed the rule and called ahead – and would have this time too – time was limited and showing up unannounced just once didn't seem like it would be a big deal. Apparently he was wrong.

"It doesn't matter why, Sam," Sarah said. "You agreed."

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I know," he said, sighing. "Look, something came up last minute and I just wanted to see you for a few days before I—"

"You're going back under, aren't you?" Sarah said, hands on her hips.

Sam nodded. He knew that look well – it was the same look she always got when he told her he was going undercover. "In a week."

Sarah swore.

"I tried calling before I left, but it went straight to the machine, and once I was on the road I didn't see the point in trying again."

She groaned. "I was out earlier," she replied. "And then Cooper was acting up when we got back so I didn't even think to look."

"Do you want me to go?" He was really hoping she'd say no, but if his sister decided to kick him out, there wasn't much he could do.

"No, just give me a few minutes, okay?" Sarah said, looking worried. "Just wait here and I'll find her and talk to her... let her know the situation."

Sam nodded, then sat on the swinging bench to the right of the door. As Sarah retreated inside, he leaned back and closed his eyes. The longer he sat there, the more he felt the exhaustion creep up on him. He was just starting to fall asleep when a noise around the side of the house startled him. His eyes snapped open. Rubbing his face, he leaned forward and looked to the left, thinking Sarah had slipped out the back door and was walking along the porch to get to the front. It wasn't his sister that came around the corner though. He blinked a couple of times in disbelief, but was only able to catch a glimpse of her before she was gone again.

She was fast. The second she saw him, she dropped the book she'd been holding and disappeared around the corner again, the slapping of her footsteps on the porch telling him she was running.

He got to his feet, snatched up the book and followed her, his mind reeling. The sight of the tank top, short shorts, and long brown hair had hit him hard. He followed the porch all the way around the house, hearing the backdoor slam. His eyes flicked to the yard, then back to the door before he tried to open it. Locked. Sam raced back to the front, yanking the door open and making it to the stairs at the same time as his sister.

"Sam I told you to stay outside."

"Move," he said.

Sarah hesitated, then shifted so she was completely blocking the staircase. She couldn't understand why her brother looked so angry, but having heard Andy run upstairs, there was no way she was going to let him go up there. "I asked you to do one thing, Sam… one thing… to just stay there, to just wait, and you couldn't even do that?"

"Sarah, move," said Sam, unable to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Not until you tell me what you did to her."

His eyes widened. "What _I_ did to her? Do you have any idea who she is?"

Sarah stared at him, a frown forming on her face as it sunk in. "You know her?"

"Six years and a major hit to my career," Sam replied. "Yeah, I think I know her."

"What does that even mean?" Sarah said. When he tried to move passed her, she held her hand out to stop him. "Tell me how you know her."

"Not now Sarah," Sam said. He was willing to bet that Andy was considering making a run for it, and he wasn't about to just let her slip away again. He gently pushed his sister's arm to the side and took to the stairs two steps at a time. Sarah was right on his heel. When he reached the top, his eyes flicked left and right, unsure of where Andy was, but soft rustling to the right had him heading in that direction. "Why?" he said when he was in the doorway.

Andy stiffened, letting the clothes in her hand fall into her bag before taking a deep breath and turning to face him.

Sam's eyes flicked over her as she stood staring at him in silence – it was clear that she'd been just as shocked by his sudden appearance as he'd been to find her at his sister's house. She'd definitely grown up – she looked more mature – but it was obvious just by looking at her that she was still very affected by her past. "I told you I'd protect you."

She shook her head and gave him a wry smile. "You couldn't," Andy said, hesitating for a brief moment before she grabbed some more clothes from the drawer and dumped them in her bag.

"So what, you're just going to take off again?"

"I left for a reason," Andy replied. "That reason didn't just go away."

Sarah pushed passed Sam. "What's going on?" she demanded, looking from her brother to the woman who had become her best friend.

"She's a runaway witness," Sam said, his eyes still on Andy.

Sarah turned to look at her friend, who shifted uncomfortably. "Is that true?" she asked.

Andy met Sam's eyes with an even stare of her own, but ignored Sarah's question.

"Did it have something to do with—?" Sarah began, thinking back to what Andy had told her about the attack.

"Yes," Andy replied. The word came out cold and harsh.

The look on Sarah's face confirmed that Sam's suspicions had been true. Andy hadn't just been beaten. He'd been hoping he was wrong, but it certainly explained why she'd backed away from her father's touch that night. "Was it Jimmy?"

Silence. Andy's heart pounded heavily in her chest. At Jimmy's name, she did her best to school her features, averting her gaze so she wouldn't give anything away. Sam had been able to read her pretty well six years ago and she had a feeling that hadn't changed.

"We picked him up to question him," Sam said, studying her closely as he spoke. "The same camera that caught you near the scene got him as well, but that's all we had. Without evidence, without _you_, we had to let him walk."

Sarah hit him hard, her fist landing on his bicep.

"She deserves to know," Sam said, glaring at his sister.

"You come to my house and you harass—" Sarah began, her voice raised.

"It's fine," Andy said sharply.

Both siblings turned to look at her, confused.

"He has a right to be angry," Andy continued, before turning to get more clothes.

Sam quirked an eyebrow, but it was clear she wasn't going to elaborate.

Seeing the questions burning on her brother's lips, Sarah shot him a warning look. He ignored it. "Don't you want to put him away?"

Andy looked back up at Sam. "No."

"What?" Sam stared at her in disbelief.

"I'd rather have him dead."

He froze. Whatever he'd been expecting, that wasn't it.

"Sam, that's not what she meant," Sarah blurted out. "I know her; she's not like that. She wouldn't actually do anything."

He looked at his sister, taken aback. "You have a badge too Sarah, and you know what she just implied. Are you really going to ignore that?"

"I know how it sounds Sam, but you can't say anything."

What the hell was his sister thinking? He wanted to pull her aside to talk to her, but he wasn't willing to leave Andy alone. "Sarah, just stop and think about what you're saying… what _she's_ saying." His eyes flicked back to Andy. "If she _does_ shoot the guy, and someone finds out you knew—"

"I'm not going to shoot him," Andy finally said, dumping a few more things in her bag before zipping it up. "_And_ I'm not going to get anyone else to. But sooner or later, someone will likely put a bullet in him."

Sam frowned, studying her for a long moment before it finally clicked. "He's part of a gang?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah."

"Is that why you won't talk? Did they threaten you?"

Ignoring him, Andy picked up her bag.

Sarah panicked. "Andy, sweetie, just stop for a second, okay?" She turned to her brother. "And you too. Both of you just stop. I don't care what's going on, but nobody is going anywhere."

"She's a witness."

"I understand that Sam, but you need to back off," Sarah replied. When Sam opened his mouth to argue, she added, "Just listen to me… you _have_ to drop it. You have no idea what she's been through. So just walk away like you never saw her. Let her live her life. _Please_." Knowing her brother wasn't convinced, she continued, "You know what they say about questioning or bringing an accusation against another cop, right?"

Sam frowned. He knew the answer, but he wasn't sure why it was relevant. Unless…

"Sam, she graduated… from the academy. And as soon as she's placed, she's going to have a badge, and you bringing her in to question her could threaten that, especially if you've marked her as a runaway witness. So please, don't take that away from her, not now… not after everything she's done to get here."

Andy shifted uncomfortably as Sam's gaze fell on her once again. "You trained to be a cop?" he asked, bewildered.

She lowered her eyes.

Sam laughed dryly. Of course she had. The whole situation was screwed up enough already; her becoming a cop only added to it. He rubbed his face, grinding his teeth together. The one person who could put that vial piece of scum behind bars for good was standing right in front of him, yet his own sister was holding him back. And the second Andy had a badge things would become stickier. He forced himself to take a deep breath before walking straight towards her, watching her stumble back in an effort to put more distance between them. If he wasn't so angry, he would have kept his distance in the first place, but knowing she was okay and that a murderer and rapist was on the loose had him throwing caution to the wind. It wasn't until he was a couple of feet away that he held the book out to her. As much as he wanted to close the case, he knew that bringing her in would make her relive the trauma, and after having gone through it with his own sister, he knew just how hard it was to overcome. As he looked down at her now, it was clear that Andy still had a long way to go, and that thought alone was enough to make him back off. One day, he'd get her to talk, but not today.

Andy swallowed hard, her breathing a little heavier than it had been moments before. Her eyes flicked from the book to his face. He looked furious, but there was something else in the depths of his brown eyes that had her hesitating, no longer backing away.

He continued to stare at her for another moment, his expression softening. Feeling the shift, he dropped the book on her bag and headed back towards the door. "Make sure she doesn't run," he said to Sarah before heading back down the stairs. If he was just going to ignore this whole thing, then the best thing for Andy would likely be to stay where she was. At least now he knew where to find her – the last thing he needed was for her to go running off again.

* * *

_Later that day…_

Sam spent the majority of the afternoon playing with Cooper and talking to Sarah. Most of the conversation revolved around Andy since his sister was still worried that he wouldn't keep his mouth shut. When she'd asked him for the fifth time if he'd leave Andy alone, he excused himself and retreated up to his room where he lay down and tried to sleep. After an hour with his eyes still wide open, he headed back downstairs to find the lights off – no doubt his sister had gone to bed. As he reached for a glass, movement outside caught his eye. He shifted to the left so he could see better and caught sight of Andy in the pool. He hadn't seen her since he left her room earlier.

He hesitated. He knew he should stay away, but he'd calmed down considerably and the fact that she hadn't taken off was a good sign too. Grabbing a towel, he headed outside and set it down by the edge of the pool before making his way towards one of the chairs, though he didn't sit.

As if sensing he was there, Andy surfaced three quarters of the way across the pool and looked around, her shock at seeing him there causing her to momentarily sink, swallowing some water in the process and coughing as she resurfaced.

Seeing the sudden fear in her eyes, he gestured to the towel, then held up his own hands to indicate he wasn't going to do anything. "I thought you could use that."

She looked from the towel to Sam, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. What did he want?

He hesitated. "I'm sorry."

Andy stared at him in silence as she treaded water. She hadn't expected an apology from him, but the fact that she was getting one made her even more suspicious. No doubt she'd put a huge dent in his career – especially since he'd managed to lose a cop's daughter and witness all in one go – and he'd certainly seemed angry before, so why he was apologizing was beyond her.

"For earlier," he continued, noting the uncertainty in her eyes. "You caught me off guard… and I may have overreacted."

Instead of responding, she swam the rest of the length of the pool, her eyes on him the entire time, still curious as to why he was apologizing. Once she reached the end, she grabbed the edge and held on, surprised when he turned around. She hesitated, then quickly got out, dried herself off, and threw her tank top and shorts back on. Not once did he even try to turn around and peek. After wrapping the towel around her upper half so her hair could drip onto it, she sat down on one of the chairs a few metres away from him. "Okay," she said a little hesitantly.

"You're done?" he asked, wanting to make sure that was what she meant. He couldn't risk turning around and finding out he was wrong – the only thing that would accomplish would be freaking her out.

"Yes."

Sam slowly turned around, then sat on the chair behind him. He felt like she was ripping him apart with her eyes, but Sarah had done the same thing to other people. "You've done well."

Silence.

"It will get better." He spoke softly, but loud enough for her to hear.

The intensity of her gaze slipped at the softness in his voice. As she looked at him now, it was more in confusion and curiosity.

"Did Sarah tell you what happened to her?"

"Yeah," she said, lowering her eyes.

"How did you meet her?"

She hesitated. "My instructor figured out something was… wrong with me. He's friends with Sarah, so he introduced us, thought it would help."

Sam cringed at the way she said it. "Nothing's wrong with you."

Her eyes flicked up to his face. He seemed sincere.

"Did she tell you about her husband?"

Andy's eyes widened. "A little."

Sam nodded. "He was a good guy. Made her happy. Gave her a life she never thought she'd have…" A sad smile flickered across his face. "She still has the odd moment every once in awhile when it's just really hard, but he helped her through it. And if he hadn't died in the line of duty, he'd still be here with her."

Andy frowned, still puzzled as to what Sam was trying to accomplish. "Is it true, that you're not going tell anyone?"

He met her eyes and sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but yeah, it's true."

"Why?"

He stared at her for a long moment before speaking, trying to decipher her expression but unable to figure out what it meant. "Planning on running again?"

"Why?" she repeated.

Why? There were a lot of reasons why, but none of them were ones he was willing to say to her face, not when it would likely only make her feel weak. He knew she wasn't though; she couldn't be to have made it this far on her own. Instead, he decided on, "Sarah asked me not to."

Her eyes narrowed. Was he serious? His sister told him not to say anything and he obeyed, just like that? She hesitated. "And that's enough?"

He nodded slowly.

She regarded him for another moment, then got up, but before she could turn to leave, he spoke again.

"Are you going to run?"

Andy stared at him for a long moment before replying. "Only if you give me a reason to."

"I won't."

She nodded, then turned and made it a few metres before he called her name. She turned back to him.

"How long have you known Sarah was my sister?"

"The day I moved in I saw your picture on the bookshelf… I never told her though, and I couldn't exactly move out without her questioning things, so I just asked her to warn me whenever someone was coming over."

He laughed, surprising her. "That's impressive, living under my sister's roof and making it this far without running into me. Not even Cooper gave you away."

"Well, if you'd continued to follow the rules, you may never have known."

He nodded in agreement. "I've never been good at following rules."

Her eyes widened. "But you're a cop."

"Sometimes being a good cop means you're going to have to bend or break the rules," he said. "You'll learn that soon enough."

She contemplated his words. He really was going to let her go.

He gave her another moment to think it over before saying, "One day I hope you'll at least tell me how you managed to stay under the radar and make us all look like idiots."

A small smile formed on her face as she turned back towards the house. "Maybe one day Officer Swarek," she said as she walked away.

Sam watched her go, a sad smile touching his lips. When he first saw her here, he was angry, but knowing his suspicions had been right had changed things. He couldn't be mad at her, not after he knew what Sarah had gone through in that situation, and what Andy was currently still going through. And while he couldn't entirely understand why she'd run away instead of helping to lock up the guys, he found that he was too impressed with the way she'd managed to pull herself together to be mad at her.

**Thanks again for reading! **

**So… the Sam and Andy "reunion" wasn't exactly a happy one, _but_ it looks like things are already starting to improve, as long as Andy keeps her word and doesn't take off again and Sam actually backs off. Will they, won't they? What do you think?**


	7. One Step at a Time

**Welcome back! I'm completely blown away by your reviews, so thank you guys so much for taking the time to let me know what you think. Also, thanks for the follows/favourites, and for reading! **

**Recap: Sam and Oliver try to question Andy about a murder she is said to have witnessed, but she denies having seen anything. When Sam questions her at her school, he realizes she's being watched and backs off so that he doesn't put an even bigger target on her back. In an effort to instill fear in her and silence her, Andy is raped by her boyfriend and his brother. When Sam and Oliver show up on her doorstep again, she takes off and just barely manages to get away on the subway. She then transfers to a bus and makes it all the way to Burlington, where she's forced to cover her tracks as she decides where to go from there. Andy ends up in St. Catharines, changes her appearance, gets a job, and manages to complete high school and university. She even goes to the academy. While there, her instructor introduces her to Sarah Dean, who is able to share her own story of being attacked as a teen. Andy ends up moving in with Sarah and quickly realizes that Sarah is Sam's sister. Just days after Andy graduates from the Academy, Sam shows up (unexpectedly) at Sarah's house, which ends up leading to a confrontation with Andy. After discovering she's been training to be a cop, Sam reluctantly agrees to back off and keep quiet about having ever seen her in St. Catharines.**

Andy jogged up the steps at the back of the house, running a hand over her face and through her hair before bending down and starting on a few stretches. Every muscle in her body was aching, screaming at her for running longer and harder than usual, but she'd desperately needed a distraction and sleep hadn't been cooperating. So, she'd forced herself to get up and pushed herself until her mind became solely focused on putting one foot in front of the other, until her throat felt raw and her legs became wobbly. That was when she was finally free of every thought, except making it back to the house.

Upon straightening, she inhaled deeply in an attempt to even out her breathing and slow her pulse, then reached for the doorknob, turned it, and stepped into the kitchen, her mind now set on finding something to drink and taking a cold shower. The second her running shoes hit the tile floor, however, her thoughts took a dramatic shift. Her eyes widened, her entire body stiffened, and her heart rate skyrocketed. _Breathe Andy_, she silently told herself.

Sam looked up from what was left of his coffee, watching as her grip on the doorknob tightened and she took a step backwards. Based on her three-quarter-length yoga pants, spandex tank top, and flushed face, she'd been out running. Realizing his eyes were lingering a little too long on her body, he forced them back up to her face. "Coffee?" he asked, watching as her expression changed from surprised and scared to confused. He'd hoped that the simple question would calm her to some extent, but all it seemed to do was set her a little more on edge.

Her eyes flicked to the clock, then back to him. It was only seven o'clock, which meant Sarah likely wouldn't be up for another hour. She withheld a groan. Clearly Sam didn't have the same sleeping habits as his sister – she'd even gotten up a little earlier than usual in an attempt to get back before anyone woke up, but that had obviously backfired. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. Despite having mentally prepared herself for another encounter, she suddenly found herself caught off guard. Sure, he'd seemed nice enough the night before when they were out by the pool, but she still couldn't understand him and that scared her.

"You do drink coffee, don't you?" Sam asked slowly, his eyes trained on her face.

Andy stared at him for a long moment, desperately trying to stop her hands from trembling. When he quirked an eyebrow, she gave a subtle nod.

Now that he had confirmation, Sam slowly got up and moved towards the pot of coffee, hesitating when he saw her take another step back. He was well aware that one wrong move could be enough to send her packing. As it was, she already looked ready to bolt. He curled his fingers around the handle of the coffee pot, keeping his eyes focused on the brown liquid, hoping that if he averted his eyes she might feel more comfortable. "Milk? Sugar?"

She remained silent, watching as he poured two cups of coffee while simultaneously trying to get a read on him. Even he seemed a little tense, or maybe just hesitant. Either way, he seemed a little uncertain and in a roundabout way, that put her a little more at ease. It also left her perplexed. Who the hell was this guy? If he was trying to butter her up so she'd talk, then he was wasting his time.

He set the pot back down and leaned up against the counter so he was facing her. It was obvious she was confused, but he wasn't quite sure what accounted for the silence. No doubt she was still worried that he'd say something, and it was obvious she was wary of him, but something seemed to have changed overnight – nothing drastic, but there was something. He just had no idea what. As Sam looked at her now though, he noted that her entire demeanour had changed in the short time it took him to pour the coffee. Folding his arms across his chest, he studied her a little more. He'd felt her eyes on him ever since she'd stepped inside, but he hadn't realized just how intently she'd been looking at him... until now. His eyes widened as it dawned upon him. Andy hadn't _just_ been watching him, she'd been reading him, _really_ reading him. Not that he hadn't expected her to try; he was just surprised because the shift suggested she'd _actually_ found something. The thought disturbed him. He wasn't an overly expressive guy, and he'd done enough undercover operations that she shouldn't have been able to pick him apart that easily. But she had. He just wasn't sure what she'd learned. As discomfort started to set in, he decided to try to draw her attention back to the coffee. Clearing his throat and lowering his eyes, he said, "Let me guess, hot and sweet?"

Andy quirked an eyebrow at him and pressed her lips together to stop herself from smiling. The fact that he was right was a little eerie, and yet she suspected that he was trying really hard to ease her discomfort, which ultimately meant that the tables were slowly turning and he was rapidly falling into a more uncomfortable position. The idea seemed amusing, making the tension in her body lift a little more. He really was trying. With that in mind, her grip relaxed and her hand finally released the doorknob, though she remained firmly planted in the doorway. She took a moment to mull his words over a little more. _Hot and sweet_. It applied to more than just her preferences for coffee... Her face fell. Men weren't hot and sweet. Men were the reason she was like this. The reason she couldn't trust easily. Men caused her paralyzing fear. And Sam was a man... Another thought struck her. So was James, but he was good – she could trust him, at least more so than any other man, a lot more.

Sam's eyes flicked back up to her, frowning when she continued to remain silent. He could feel his irritation growing, and was about ready to give up and let her fix her own coffee when he saw the slight twitch in her lips. A split second later, the first makings of a smile were gone and her face was clouded over. The intense gaze from the night before returned. Though she'd schooled her features soon after, he had a pretty good idea what she was thinking, yet, the fact that she'd even found humour in what he'd said was a good sign. Hell, he hadn't even realized how it sounded until her lips had twitched. The more he thought about it, the more comical and horrifying it became. On any other day, most people may have seen it as a lame attempt to hit on her, but with Andy – given her past – if taken in the wrong context, it seemed a little crass. Still, she had almost smiled, so surely somewhere inside of her, behind all of the pain and fear, her light hadn't been completely extinguished by her past. "That…" Sam began, grimacing. "That may have come out wrong."

He could have sworn that her lips twitched again, but feeling a little awkward, he turned back to the coffee and dumped some sugar in both cups, trying to ignore the feeling of her eyes on him once more.

Andy desperately tried not to laugh. He wasn't the same guy she'd had a run-in with all those years ago – he'd seemed the same in those first few minutes the day before, but since then, something about him seemed different. She continued to watch him as he made both coffees, tensing a little when he turned back to face her.

Sam stared at her for another moment before setting her cup down on the kitchen table. "I'll be in there," he said, gesturing towards the living room. "Unless you…?"

She shook her head – her only plan was to go upstairs and shower. Beyond that, she had no idea, but if he was going to be in the living room, she'd find somewhere else. At least this way she could avoid another run-in. After watching his receding back, she slid out of her shoes and closed the back door. Her eyes then flicked to the cup of coffee. She'd watched him make it, seen that he hadn't done anything to it. And since cops hadn't shown up at the house overnight and he hadn't tried to take her in, she supposed that maybe he really was genuine with what he said. She slowly reached out and let her fingers curl around the mug, letting the warmth run through her fingers before heading upstairs for a shower.

When the sound of footsteps disappeared upstairs, Sam got up and returned to the kitchen, a small smile on his lips when he saw that the coffee mug was gone.

* * *

_Later that afternoon…_

Sam got out of his truck, then moved to the back to get Cooper out. As he moved to lift his nephew, he paused, his head snapping in the direction of the front porch. Sarah and Andy were sitting on the swinging bench, engaged in a conversation. What had caught his attention though was the sound of Andy's laugh. It wasn't that he didn't expect her to laugh or even smile; it was just that he hadn't really seen it before. He studied her for a few more seconds – she looked so relaxed and almost content. The thought nearly had him turning around again to give them more time, but the boy was exhausted and no doubt needed a nap.

"Uncle Saaaaaammy," Cooper said, wiggling in Sam's arms.

He snapped out of it and pulled Cooper out of the truck and set him down, watching as the boy awkwardly ran up the front steps. He followed at a much slower pace, his eyes flicking to Andy as her gaze landed on him. There was a noticeable shift in the air. With a sigh, he continued forward.

"How was the park?" Sarah asked, looking from Andy to her brother.

"Busy," Sam replied with a shrug, as he started to climb the stairs. He watched as Cooper kissed Sarah on the cheek. "He's…" Sam fell silent, his mouth falling open as the boy crawled up on the bench and pulled himself onto Andy's lap.

"He's…?" Sarah pressed, a small smile forming on her lips upon seeing her brother's reaction.

All he could do was stare, no longer really aware that he'd stopped moving altogether.

"Sammy, that's rude," Sarah said. It really was, but that didn't stop her smile from widening.

As Andy wrapped her arms around Cooper, Sam could see the smallest traces of sadness, but otherwise she seemed perfectly content. "Kids don't bother you?" he asked slowly, not really expecting an answer given how the morning went.

Andy hesitated, keeping her eyes trained on the top of Cooper's head. "Most do," she admitted.

Forcing his eyes away, he walked up the remaining steps and leaned up against the railing to the left so that there was still enough distance between himself and the women.

"I'm going to start dinner," Sarah said a few minutes later, after unsuccessfully trying to start up a conversation with her brother and her friend. She turned to Andy. "Are you going to be okay?"

Andy nodded, turning her attention back to Cooper, though she continued to watch Sam out of the corner of her eye.

"Do you want me to leave?" Sam asked when his sister had disappeared inside.

She looked up at him, her eyes searching his face for a long moment. She still wasn't sure what to make of him. He was confusing, no doubt about that. _But_ all of those years ago, when he'd sought her out at school, she'd sensed that she could trust him. And, she'd almost listened to him, but fear made her run. Still, the fact that she'd felt that way at some point had to mean something, right? Yet, so much time had passed. She didn't know him. And sometimes she felt like she hardly knew herself. Realizing he was still waiting for an answer, she hesitantly shook her head. "You're fine over there."

Sam merely nodded, watching as Cooper fell asleep in Andy's arms. Her eyes had largely been directed down at the boy, and when a small smile touched her lips, he couldn't help but smile too.

They sat in silence for over half an hour before Sarah appeared in the doorway. "Dinner's ready."

Sam took a step forward, his initial reaction being to take Cooper from Andy, but the sudden look of fear in her eyes made him step back several feet and say to Sarah, "Can you hold the door for her?"

Sarah nodded, and as Andy picked up Cooper and moved towards the door, he stepped back further. She paused in the doorway, hesitating, before turning to look at him.

He remained still, watching her with a frown on his face. Was she waiting for him to move back more?

Andy stared at him for another moment before giving him a small smile, causing his eyebrows to raise in surprise.

Seconds later he returned it and she vanished through the doorway.

* * *

They'd just finished eating when Sarah dashed out of the room to grab the phone, returning ten minutes later with a smile on her face. "It's for you," she said, holding the portable phone out to Andy. "It's James."

Andy frowned, but took the phone and left the room.

Sam looked at his sister questioningly. "Her instructor from the academy," said Sarah.

He nodded.

Five minutes later they heard the front door slam. Sarah's eyes widened and she scrambled to get up from the table. She dashed outside. "Andy," she called out.

Andy had already made it down the front steps and was standing on the driveway, bent over with her hands on her knees to try to keep herself up. Her mind was reeling and her heart was pounding so heavily she thought she was going to be sick.

"Sweetie, just think about what he said, okay?"

"You know?" Andy said, pushing herself up and turning to face her friend. "He told you?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, he did. He wanted to run it by me first, see if I thought you were ready... If I thought it was a good idea."

Andy laughed dryly. "You know, if you want me to go, that's fine. I can move out in the morning, or tonight... I'll go, but I can't go back there."

"I don't want you to leave sweetie. I really don't," Sarah said gently. "But this could be really good for you. I know you trust him, and I think he can really help you."

"I'm not going back," Andy said, struggling to hold back the tears.

"Just think about it, okay?" Sarah said. "If you still decide you don't want to, you can stay here for as long as you want. But, if you decide to go, you're always welcome to come back and visit. I just really think you should consider what he said." She paused. "I know it won't be easy, but I think it will be worth it."

Andy shook her head, unable to keep the tears at bay any longer.

Sarah wrapped her up in a hug, until Andy broke free a few minutes later and retreated to the back of the house. She waited another moment before heading inside, finding Sam lingering near the front door. She gestured for him to follow her back to the kitchen, taking a quick look out the window to make sure she saw Andy before sitting back down. "Her instructor is going back to Toronto to be closer to his family... He's taking a spot at 27 Division and he's asking her to go with him."

Sam's eyes widened.

"She trusts him," Sarah explained. "And I think he can really help her." She sighed. "I know from experience how hard it can be to find a place where somebody gets it. And he does. He really does, and it's a great opportunity for her. Probably the best thing for her right now." She paused, a sad smile on her face. "I was hoping she'd find a place at my Division, but I don't want to hold her back. She needs this, but—"

"She doesn't want to go back to Toronto?" Sam finished.

Sarah nodded.

* * *

Andy went to the end of the large property and sat on the tire swing, mindlessly letting it slowly spin her as other thoughts consumed her. Yeah, she trusted James. It had taken the greater part of the year to get to the point where she felt like she could really trust him, but she got there and she knew Sarah was right when she said that this could be a really good opportunity. Hell, this could be her _only_ real opportunity to become a cop. As it was, she'd likely either be shoved behind a desk or paired up with whatever female cop was available, so having a male training officer and partner that she could trust would increase her chances of being let out on the streets. She knew all of that. And she was pretty sure she could handle working long shifts with James. It would be different, but she liked him. They got along. She trusted him. But none of that was the problem. The real issue was the fact that 27 Division was in Toronto and that was one place she'd told herself she could never go back to.

She let out a deep breath. Going back would essentially defeat the purpose of coming to St. Catharines in the first place. It would raise a lot of questions. Put her father and herself in danger. It would be a huge risk, one that she couldn't take. Even if this was her only shot at making a career as a cop, how could she possibly put her dad's life in danger? And what if she ran into J.J and the guys? What if she became a cop and realized she couldn't do it after all?

When the ropes from the swing were wound tight, she started spinning in the other direction, this time a little faster. The scenery around her started to blur together: the pool, the trees, fields, house. Everything. She blinked hard, struggling to bring something into focus. Anything. Her eyes finally settled on the house. This place had become her home. Sarah and Cooper had become her family. They were her life. Her new life. And the prospect of leaving them not only left a hole in her heart, but it terrified her. Could she really go back to her old life? Did she even want to?

She'd desperately wanted to ask Sam about her dad. She wanted to know how he was doing, how he'd managed since she'd left. As much as she wanted to know though, it was also the fear of knowing that kept her from asking. Of course she missed him. Not a day went by that she hadn't thought about him and wondered what he was doing and if he was okay. She'd even picked up the phone a couple of times to call him, but before she could press the last number she always hung up. What if he wasn't doing well? She'd want to go back to help him, but how could she help him without putting a target on his back? If he needed her, she'd want to do anything and everything in her power to help him, but could she really risk his life and hers just to return? That's what she was afraid of: finding out he wasn't okay, having to decide between the lesser evil, and wanting to help but ultimately doing more damage. Then again, maybe Sam would tell her that her dad was doing well. It would hurt knowing that he'd carried on with his life and maybe even forgotten all about her, but at least he'd be happy, and in knowing that he was okay, maybe she could stay away for good. Let him be happy. Be at peace. But it wasn't that simple. Not knowing was torture, but knowing could set her up for something she wasn't prepared to deal with. When it came down to it, her decision could affect more people than she cared to admit. She let out a frustrated sigh.

Even when the sun went down and the sky grew dark, she barely budged, her mind racing and her heart pounding. Things were finally starting to go right in her life, she was finally starting to pull herself together, and now she was faced with another wrench. Her five and ten year plans were rapidly vanishing before her eyes. Her future was growing dark, uncertain.

Sliding off the swing, she lay on the grass beneath the large tree and stared skyward for hours as the moon rose and stars spread across the sky. As the hours passed, a slight chill crept up on her, but she ignored it. She could deal with the cold. She could deal with a lot of things, but how she was going to figure out what to do with her life from here on in, she had no clue. Tears spilled down the side of her face, and that same feeling of being alone and confused that she'd felt when she first stepped foot in St. Catharines started to creep up on her once more. And just like it had been that day, Andy knew that no matter what she did, everything was about to change.

**Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you think.**

**Up next, Andy's still torn when it comes to her future as a cop, so she approaches Sam in an effort to find some answers. BUT, will it help or will talking to him make things worse? And, will an unexpected visit from one of Sarah's exes affect Andy's decision?**

**Twitter – RB_ADI2DE**


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